Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
Scholarship Application – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
NAPABA strives to keep the Convention affordable for our members and offers one of the best values among legal education conferences. Apply today and take advantage of NAPABA’s scholarship fund to help defray costs for attendees through registration fee waivers, travel stipends, and lodging stipends.
Registration – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Thank you for being a valued NAPABA member! Your membership affords you a registration discount for the NAPABA Convention. Early-bird registration for the Convention is now open! Please register using the same email address that is associated with your membership account in order to receive the automatic discount.
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2016
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) stands with the LGBTQ community after an unconscionable attack this weekend at an Orlando nightclub — which also serves as a community center and safe haven for the local LGBTQ population — left approximately 50 people dead and over 50 people injured.
NAPABA stands against violence and hate, and today, we stand in solidarity with Orlando and the LGBTQ community. All people should be able to live their lives without the fear of being targeted because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 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).
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org
The Asian American Bar Association of New York is deeply saddened by the horrific massacre that occurred on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. We are grieved and mourn with the victims, their families, the LGBT community, and the city of Orlando. We stand in solidarity in this difficult time to take real steps toward making this country a place where all Americans feel secure, safe, and able to be fully authentic to who they are no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
The Problem With Calling Out Judges for Their Race
In a June 5 article in the Atlantic by Garrett Epps, who teaches constitutional law and creative writing for law students at the University of Baltimore, the author commented on the controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s criticism of Judge Curiel because of his race by citing the 1998 case of Macdraw Inc. v. CIT Equipment Financing. That case is notable for the fact that the Hon. Denny Chin, then the only Article III United States District Judge east of the Mississippi, presided over it.
In response to an unfavorable decision against the plaintiff, plaintiff’s counsel filed a brief in which they questioned Judge Chin’s impartiality on account of his race. Responding to this point, Judge Chin wrote: “This sentiment is absurd and demeans me individually and the Court as a whole.” He then sanctioned plaintiff’s attorneys by requiring them to withdraw from the case and banning them from appearing before him in any future matter. He also directed the court clerk to report this sanction to every court in which plaintiff’s attorneys held bar membership.
On appeal to the Second Circuit, Judge Chin’s ruling was upheld in strong terms. Chief Judge Ralph Winter wrote: “Courts have repeatedly held that matters such as race or ethnicity are improper bases for challenging a judge’s impartiality.”
The article goes on to cite the case of the Vietnamese Fishermen against the Ku Klux Klan, without realizing that this latest AABANY Trial Reenactment was led by Judge Chin. In that case, the Ku Klux Klan sought to disqualify Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, the first African American appointed to the Federal bench in Texas, on the grounds that she would not be impartial in a case in which the Ku Klux Klan was the defendant. Judge McDonald denied the motion from the bench, stating: “You are not entitled to a judge of your choice. You are entitled to a judge who will give you a fair trial. I am deeply committed to equal justice under the law and you will get it. You are entitled to nothing more and nothing less.”
In the three decades since the Vietnamese Fishermen case, we are still confronting race-based attacks against judges, which is indeed a sad state of affairs. We thank Judge Chin for standing up against this type of racism back in 1998 and for his continuing to teach all of us that these kinds of attacks against judges and the judiciary are improper, inappropriate and intolerable.
To read the full article, click the link in the title.
To learn more about the Vietnamese Fishermen trial reenactment, click here. For more information about the AABANY Trial Reenactments click here.
Meet the Affinity Bar Group Presidents
AABANY President Susan Shin was featured in The New York Law Journal:
Susan Shin, 43, is a partner at Arnold & Porter practicing complex business litigation. She is a 2001 graduate of Columbia Law School. Prior to joining Arnold & Porter she clerked for Eastern District Judge Raymond J. Dearie.
Shin’s term began on April 1.
Additional officers are president-elect Dwight Yoo; immediate past president William Wang; vice president of programs and operations Marianne Chow; vice president of finance and development William Ng; treasurer Amy Ngai; and secretary Ligee Gu.
During her term, Shin plans to work with other officers, the board of the association and committee chairs to invigorate and actively engage the association’s roughly 1,100 members to take part in the association’s theme for 2016: “Speak up, Rise up, and Lift up,” which calls on members to work together, help each other advance and succeed, be vocal in affecting positive change at firms, companies and organizations at which we work and devote time to mentor and train young Asian American lawyers.
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
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.”