President Donald Trump named an Orthodox Jewish judge, whose official bio notes his penchant for studying the Talmud, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Per his official biography, Matthew H. Solomson, of Silver Spring, Maryland, "enjoys studying Talmud, playing tennis, and spending time at the beach with his family."

"It's notable that Judge Solomson is the first Orthodox Jew to be appointed as chief judge of the federal court he is serving on," Nathan Diament, executive director of Orthodox Union Advocacy, told JNS.

"Of course, that's not the reason he was appointed," Diament said. "He has a record of distinction on the Court of Federal Claims. But it's a point of pride for the Orthodox Jewish community — and Orthodox attorneys in particular who can see ourselves rising to these heights."

Trump designated Solomson, who holds a J.D. and an M.B.A. from University of Maryland and an undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, on April 10.

Tevi Troy, a former U.S. deputy secretary of health and human services and author, most recently, of The Power and the Money about "epic clashes" between U.S. presidents and industry titans, told JNS that he was "thrilled" to hear about Solomson's appointment as chief judge of the federal claims court.

"He literally wrote the book on the subject and is therefore the right man for the job from a technical standpoint," Troy said.

"Beyond his knowledge of the subject, Judge Solomson also earned this elevation by taking a strong stand against pro-Hamas, anti-American civil terrorists wreaking havoc on our college campuses," he said. "He bravely spoke out on the issue and also made it clear that schools that abided such behavior would not be welcome to send clerks to his courtroom."

Troy added that personally, "it's great to see a religious Jew, who is steeped in Jewish texts and comfortable in his observance, serving as the top judge in a federal court in this great land."

"It shows how welcoming America is to those who embrace her, and it is something we can all be proud of," he told JNS.

The judge wrote on LinkedIn that he is "deeply honored" by the appointment.

"The court, in one form or another, has been part of our great nation's judicial landscape since 1855," he wrote. "President Lincoln, discussing the court in his 1861 State of the Union message, correctly noted that 'it is as much the duty of government to render prompt justice against itself, in favor of citizens, as it is to administer the same, between private individuals."

"Our court strives to live up to that maxim every day. Sometimes, that means a plaintiff prevails. Sometimes the government does. Either way, the people always win because, in this country, our government isn't separate from the citizenry but rather is, in the immortal words of Lincoln, a 'government of the people, by the people, for the people,'" he added. "The court is merely their agent."

Solomson wrote that he is "truly living the American dream," which also belonged to his father, a retired U.S. Army colonel, and his mother, his grandparents and great-grandparents. All of them "worked hard and played by the rules, so that their future generations might succeed in this land of limitless opportunity," the judge wrote.

He also thanked his wife of almost three decades, Lisa Solomson. "As my family and I celebrate Passover, commemorating the Exodus, I am reminded about the nature of true freedom," he wrote. "The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks observed that '[a] world in which everyone is free to do what they like begins in anarchy and ends in tyranny.'"

"Passover celebrates a different concept of freedom — one that is remarkably similar to the ordered liberty embodied in our miraculous Constitution," he added. "Having sworn an oath to uphold it, I am grateful to God that every day of service in the judiciary is truly a sacred duty." (He also prayed in the post for the "immediate safe exodus " of the hostages in Gaza.)

Solomson previously managed a team of lawyers, auditors and others as chief legal and compliance officer at an $11 billion federal contracting unit at a Fortune 50 healthcare company and was also the head of a group at Booz Allen Hamilton, per his bio.

He is an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University and is an active member of the kollel at Yeshiva's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.

Solomson is also dean of the Tikvah Legal Fellowship, which affords law students the opportunity "to study with world-class legal experts, receive personalized career coaching and join a community dedicated to Jewish and American ideals," according to its website.

This JNS.org report was republished on Newsmax with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.