Oakland County judge expected to become first Chaldean to serve on federal bench

DETROIT – Oakland County Circuit Judge Hala Jarbou is expected to become the first Chaldean American to serve on a federal bench, according to reports.

On Thursday, the US Senate confirmed her nomination to serve as a federal judge in western Michigan during a 83 to 15 vote.

Michigan Democratic US Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters both voted yes.

Jarbou, 48, was nominated by President Donald Trump in March.

Chaldeans in Metro Detroit have expressed excitement about the confirmation with many calling it historic.

The region has the largest concentration of Chaldeans in the world with more than 160,000 residing in it, according to the Chaldean Community Foundation. Chaldeans are Iraqi Catholics.

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Jarbou has an immigrant success story and traces her roots to Telkaif, Iraq. Telkaif is the village in Iraq from which the majority of Chaldeans trace their roots.

She previously worked with the US Department of Justice as an assistant US attorney in the Drug Task Force Unit and served in the General Crimes Unit.

Before that she served in the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office, working primarily in the Circuit Court Division.

Jarbou earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.