United States Democratic Governor-elect Phil Murphy on Tuesday nominated Sikh-American lawyer Gurbir Grewal the attorney general for New Jersey, AP reported. If his nomination is approved by the state Senate, Grewal will be the country’s first Sikh to hold the post, Murphy said.

Grewal is a Bergen county prosecutor and has served as assistant US attorney in New Jersey district’s criminal division and as a prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York.

Grewal has been selected to challenge President Donald Trump’s administration, said Murphy, according to AP. “New Jersey needs an attorney general with a steel backbone, one that will stand up for New Jersey against everything coming our way from Washington,” he added.

The prosecutor pledged to give back to the country that has given so much to him and other immigrant families. “I wanted to perhaps also show people that while I and others like me may look different or worship differently that we too are committed to this country,” Grewal said.

The nominee claimed to have been at the receiving end of “hate and intolerance”. “As someone who has experienced hate and intolerance first-hand throughout my life, I wanted to work to ensure that we all live in a fair and just society,” Grewal said.