Excerpt:
One of Gov. Chris Christie's nominees for Superior Court judge isn't the typical judicial hopeful.
The attorney doesn't work for a big-name law firm. He holds a GED diploma. He practiced engineering for years before he thought about working in a courtroom.
Sohail Mohammed, 47, an immigrant from southern India, however, does have experience in dealing with law enforcement. Since graduating from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1993, Mohammed has risen to prominence as a key voice of the state's Muslim community.
The regional office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation calls when questions arise about Muslim culture. He was a force behind passage of the state's landmark halal food law in 2000, which pledged to help protect Muslim standards for food preparation. And in the aftermath of Sept. 11, he defended Muslim and Middle Eastern detainees swept up in the federal government's dragnet.