5 Receive City Bar Legal Service Awards
5 Receive City Bar Legal Service Awards
Congratulations to Donna Chiu, AABANY Member and attorney at Asian Americans for Equality, on her recent honor from the New York City Bar Association. One of five recipients, Donna was honored at the City Bar’s 27th Annual Legal Services Awards recognizing those who provide full-time outstanding civil legal assistance to New York’s poor.
Click on the link above to see New York Law Journal’s article.
St. John’s Law Celebrates Commencement 2016 | St. John’s University
St. John’s Law Celebrates Commencement 2016 | St. John’s University
Our Former Intern, Christina Nguyen, is featured on the St. John’s School of Law’s website. Congratulations to Christina Nguyen on graduating this year – we wish you success in your future career!
When Christina Nguyen ‘12CPS, ‘16L strode across the commencement stage at Carnesecca Arena on Sunday and became a St. John’s Law graduate, it was a milestone first for her and her family.
The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a Queens Native, Nguyen was a Legal Studies major and Business minor at St. John’s University when she decided that she wanted to be a lawyer. After earning her B.S. magna cum laude, she chose to attend St. John’s Law because of its strong alumni network, close ties to the New York legal community, and family-like environment.
“It’s a family that I’m proud to be a part of,” Nguyen says. She shared that pride over her three years at the Law School as an editor of the Commercial Division Online Report, as director of external competitions for the Dispute Resolution Society, on dispute resolution and appellate advocacy competition teams, and as an active member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, among other activities.
The story also prominently features Justice Randall Eng, St. John’s alum and first-ever Asian American Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division for New York State. Congratulations to Justice Eng on receiving his honorary Doctor of Laws from St. John’s.
Reflecting on this milestone event, Christina Nguyen says: “Justice Eng’s story was very relatable, especially since, like him, I’m first generation Asian American and the first in my family to become a lawyer. I appreciate his reminder to not let barriers stop me. He sets a wonderful example for me to follow as I transition from law student to practitioner.”
EFiling – N.Y. State Courts
New Mandatory E-filing Programs Proposed
The Office of Court Administration is seeking comment from interested members of the legal profession and the public concerning proposals for new mandatory programs of electronic filing.
REQUESTS for PUBLIC COMMENT
Comment by June 30, 2016:
Albany County Supreme Court. All new Tax Certiorari matters to be electronically filed, effective July 13, 2016. (Proposed May 17, 2016)
Comment by June 27, 2016:
Queens County Supreme Court. All new commercial cases including but not limited to contract, insurance, Uniform Commercial Code and corporate matters, to be electronically filed, effective July 13, 2016. (Proposed May 2, 2016)
Email to: [email protected]
For more information click the link in the title.
Organizational Statement | NAPABA Denounces Donald Trump’s Racist Attacks on Judges
Organizational Statement
For Immediate Release
June 7, 2016
For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
[email protected], 202-775-9555
NAPABA Denounces Donald Trump’s Racist Attacks on Judges
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) denounces Donald Trump’s recent remarks accusing Judge Gonzalo Curiel of partiality because he is of Mexican descent. Judge Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents, currently serves on the United States District Court of the Southern District of California. Mr. Trump has claimed that Judge Curiel should be disqualified from adjudicating a case to which Mr. Trump is a party because Judge Curiel is “Mexican” and because Mr. Trump believes that his support of the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border creates “an inherent conflict of interest” with the judge. Mr. Trump later expanded his position to include Muslim judges, whom Mr. Trump believes would be unable to preside fairly over cases to which he is a party because of his public policy positions.
Judges should not be accused of unfair bias because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. When Donald Trump questions the independence, fairness, and impartiality of a judge simply because he is the son of immigrants or adheres to a particular religion, he sends a strong message to the American people against diversity in the judiciary and he undermines public trust in the rule of law.
“NAPABA has never endorsed a Presidential candidate, and does not intend to do so this year,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “We speak out against Donald Trump because his remarks calling into question the ability of judges to be fair and impartial based on their ethnic background or religion are contemptible. This critique is not about politics — it is about fundamental respect for the judicial branch and those who serve in it. The fact that the comments came from a Presidential campaign podium only serves to make the comments even more disturbing — and dangerous.”
Unfortunately, similar charges have been made against respected Asian Pacific American jurists. In MacDraw Inc. v. CIT Group Equipment Financing Inc., 138 F.3d 33 (2d Cir. 1998), lawyers criticized Judge Denny Chin for alleged bias due to his ethnicity. Fortunately, the reviewing court condemned the charges and Chief Judge Ralph Winter of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals — one of the most respected jurists ever appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan — made clear that the race of a judge is an impermissible basis for attacking a judge’s impartiality, and even went so far as to approve sanctions against the attorneys by forbidding them from ever appearing again in federal court in New York.
As the national representative of Asian Pacific American lawyers and judges, NAPABA strongly rejects the notion that judges of diverse backgrounds are unable to fulfill their Constitutional duties in a fair and impartial manner. Asian Pacific American judges from varied and different backgrounds ably serve as fair and impartial jurists who are dedicated to the fair application of the rule of law in the United States and they should not be subjected to speculative and unfounded attacks based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or [email protected].
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of approximately 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.
NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).