By Judge Mariam Bazzi
The world’s 22 Arab nations are Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Yemen.
A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center found that Arabic is the fastest growing language in the U.S. The number of people who speak Arabic at home increased by 29 percent between 2010 and 2014. There are approximately 3.7 million Arab Americans in the U.S.
The Third Circuit Court is unique in its representation of Arab Americans on the bench. There have been seven current and former judges who are of Arab American heritage and they are as follows.
Judge M. John Shamo was the first Arab American elected to the Detroit Recorder's Court as a Criminal Division Judge in September 1981. Previous to that, he had practiced civil and criminal law for 10 years before being appointed a Detroit Traffic Court referee. The Michigan Supreme Court later appointed Judge Shamo permanent presiding judge of Traffic Court.
Judge James Rashid was the first Arab American to serve on the Third Circuit Court. He was elected in 1986 and served with the court until 2004. During his time with the court he served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 1997 and Presiding Judge of the Civil Division from 1997 to 1998.
Judge David Allen was appointed to the Third Circuit Court in 2003. He has served in the Criminal Division, Civil Division and was appointed to the business docket were he currently presides. Prior to becoming a judge, he worked for various state administrative agencies and for both state and federal courts. He also worked as an attorney in private practice, specializing in complex commercial litigation until his judicial appointment in 2003.
Judge Charlene Elder was appointed to the Third Circuit Court in 2005 and assumed office in 2006 in the Family Division where she currently serves. She is the first Arab American woman judge to serve on the Third Circuit Court and one of the first Arab American women judges across the country. Previous to her appointment, Judge Elder worked as a sole practitioner, specializing in consumer protection, commercial transactions, and general litigation. She was appointed as a magistrate of the 19th Judicial District Court in 2003.
Judge Adel Harb was appointed to the bench in 2015. He currently serves in the Family Division. Previous to his appointment, he served as the magistrate for the 19th District Court in Dearborn and had a general practice law firm.
Judge Mariam Bazzi was appointed to the Third Circuit Court in 2017. She currently serves in the Criminal Division. Prior to her appointment, she served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and was elected to serve on the Dearborn Board of Education. Judge Bazzi currently serves as the Judicial Sponsor of the Third Circuit Court’s Diversity and Inclusion Team.
Judge Helal Farhat was appointed to the Third Circuit Court in 2019 and currently serves in the Family Division. Prior to his appointment, he served as a magistrate in the 19th District Court in Dearborn and had a general practice law firm.
The Third Circuit Court recognizes the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans, and further recognizes the judges of Arab American heritage who have served on the Court. The Court celebrates diversity and inclusion by appreciating common connection, respecting diverse and unique human experiences, moving forward as an inclusive organization that provides accessible and equal justice. To that end, the Court has created a Diversity and Inclusion team and one of its initiative is to ensure the diverse history of the Court is recorded and shared.
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