indica News Bureau-
US Senate has confirmed the appointment of Raag Singhal, an Indian origin Judge and a well respected Broward country circuit judge.
After this appointment he will be South Florida’s newest and first Indian- American federal judge.
He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump on September 9, 2019, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 2019, by a vote of 76-17. He received commission on December 20, 2019.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Fort Pierce, Florida. Appeals from the court are directed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Journal Sun Sentinel quoted Singhal, “I’m just truly grateful to Senator Scott and Senator Rubio and President Trump for the privilege of becoming a federal judge. It is something I never dreamed of, yet it’s a dream come true.”
Singhal is an Asian American and his parents emigrated to US from India. His given name is Anuraag but is widely known as Raag. He and his physician-wife have three children.
Early life and career
Anuraag Hari “Raag” Singhal was born in Philadelphia in 1963, the son of Indian parents who had moved to the U.S. in 1960. He attended Rice University and Wake Forest University Law School. In 2011, Singhal, who had previously applied fifteen times to be a judge, was finally appointed to be a Circuit Court Judge in Broward County by Republican Governor Rick Scott. His appointment made him the first Asian-American judge in the county and only the third in Florida.
For most of his pre-bench legal career, Singhal has worked as a criminal defense attorney, handling both white collar and violent crime cases. Over the course of his career, Singhal tried over 200 jury trials, including 33 First Degree Murder cases. Over his eight year tenure on state court, Singhal has heard approximately 8000 cases, including over 450 trials.
He is a member of Associations of Indians in America, South Florida chapter. Singhal has also been a member of the South Florida Chapter of the Federalist Society since 2011.
