Fadwa Hammoud’s appearance at the Supreme Court is one of several important firsts for Muslims in the American legal system in recent months.

Fadwa Hammoud made history this week when she became the first Muslim Arab American woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hammoud’s appearance was to argue in the case of Brown v. Davenport. The case concerns the 2007 conviction of Ervine Davenport for murder in Michigan. Davenport was shackled for the duration of his trial but, no reason for him being shackled was listed in the court records. His lawyers say his shackling prejudiced the jury against him.

Hammoud’s career has been one of historic firsts. She became the first Arab American Muslim solicitor general in 2019, when Attorney General Dana Nessel appointed Michigan’s 12th solicitor general. She moved to Michigan from Lebanon at age 11, eventually graduating from Fordson High School in Dearborn. The school is also noteworthy for being a public school with a majority-Muslim population. A 2011 NPR report noted that 90% of the school’s population was Muslim.

Source: Religion News