Meet the First Yemeni Judge in the US, the Honorable Rashad Hauter
By Ruqyah Sweidan / Arab America Contributing Writer
Rashad Hauter has made history. He is the first Yemeni American to be appointed district court judge in the Wake County Judicial District Court. He is also the first Yemeni judge in America. Hauter was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper after the former Judge Michael Denning resigned from his post. Hauter has an impressive background. He began his legal career serving in the Wake County District Attorney’s office as assistant D.A., tried nearly two thousand bench trials, more than fifty jury trials, and prosecuted cases in seventeen counties. Hauter also worked as a criminal defense and immigration attorney in private practice.
Who Is Rashad Hauter?
Rashad Hauter is a first-generation immigrant. His family moved to the U.S. from the village of Gatham, Yemen, which was riddled with poverty and unrest. They lived in a modest one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Hauter’s father was a hard-working man who saved enough money to open a small business in North Carolina and Hauter grew up working there. He then graduated valedictorian from Southern Vance High School and was the first in his family to graduate college, receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduating cum laude from Campbell University School of Law.
Humble Beginnings
When Hauter was ten years old, his father earned enough money to move the family to Henderson, N.C. and open his own fuel station close to U.S. 1 and Interstate 85. The station was called, “Hauter’s Best Bet” and garnered success from his father’s sale of rooster gizzards. Hauter would unpack and stock supplies on Friday nights and work the register on other days of the week. The move to North Carolina, in a way, mirrored the family’s primary move to the US. The surroundings in Vance County differed distinctly from those of New York. People were more friendly, and they perceived the family as city people rather than immigrants of a far-away country. All in all, the family business has thrived, and Hauter’s father owns ten more stations.
A Promising Future
Having immigrated at such a young age, Hauter does not remember much of Gatham. Absent on most maps, the village only housed about thirty families. Nevertheless, he, and his fellow Yemenis are perfectly aware of the continued civil struggle. Having risen to the District Court judge, thanks to the tireless support of his father, is a source of immense happiness for the Hauter family. Hauter is a young man, thirty-five years of age, and was honored to have his father, his English teacher, by his side below the seal of North Carolina as he accepted the post. This is a proud representation of Yemeni contributions, talents and fortitude.
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