May 26, 2017 - WE Blog @ AABANY

May 26, 2017

Press Release: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer and AABANY to Host Panel Discussion with Acting US Attorney Joon Kim, Judge Denny Chin, and Congresswoman Grace Meng

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2017

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(212) 332-2478

NEW YORK – May 26, 2017 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to partner with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer for an important discussion celebrating Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at the New York offices of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. Susan L. Shin, Immediate Past President of AABANY and Partner at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, moderates a discussion from three prominent APAs serving in the Federal government, in the executive, judicial and legislative branches. Hear from these trailblazers what they do, how they got there and how they exemplify AABANY’s theme of “Take Charge; Lead Change” by working for the public good.

“For the Public Good: APA Lawyers Taking Charge and Leading Change” features Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim (Southern District of New York), the Honorable Denny Chin (Second Circuit Court of Appeals), and Representative Grace Meng (6^th District of New York and Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee). We anticipate a large turnout as over 200 people have registered for this event.

“We are excited to be hosting Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim, Judge Denny Chin and Congresswoman Grace Meng for this stellar panel discussion during APA Heritage Month,” says AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen. “These APA leaders are trailblazers and role models and serve as inspirations to countless attorneys. We look forward to hearing their stories and their insights into public service. We believe that new generations of lawyers will be inspired and moved by them to Take Charge and Lead Change.”

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332-2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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May 26, 2017

Press Release: AABANY Congratulates Justice Jeffrey Oing and Justice Anil Singh on Their Historic Appointment to New York’s Appellate Division First Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2017

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(212) 332-2478

NEW YORK – May 26, 2017 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to recognize an historic first for the Appellate Division, First Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Justice Jeffrey Oing and Justice Anil Singh join Justice Peter Tom in the First Department, which now has three Asian Pacific American (“APA”) sitting judges for the first time. We offer our congratulations to these decorated jurists.

Justice Oing was elected in 2003 to serve as a New York City Civil Court Judge. In 2010, he was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial District, and assigned to the Commercial Division. He also served as Deputy General Counsel to the New York City Council in 2002 and 2003, and also served as Deputy Director of the New York City Districting Commission. Justice Oing graduated from Columbia College in 1986 and from New York University School of Law in 1989.

Justice Singh was born in India in 1958 and immigrated to the United States in 1976. He becomes the first Indian-American elevated to an appellate court in New York State. After being elected as a New York City Civil Court Judge in 2002, he was designated an Acting Supreme Court Justice in 2010 and was elected to his current role as a New York State Supreme Court Justice, First Judicial District in 2013. In April 2015, Justice Singh was appointed to the Commercial Division. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1980 and the Antioch School of Law in 1986.

“AABANY commends Governor Cuomo on appointing Justice Oing and Justice Singh to the First Department,” says Dwight Yoo, AABANY President. “During this APA Heritage Month, we honored our newly and recently inducted APA judges as well as retired APA judges at our inaugural Judges’ Reception on May 17, and at that event, Presiding Justice Randall Eng of the Appellate Division, Second Department spoke about the strides that have been made in the past three decades for APA judges in New York. Now less than a week later, we have Justice Oing and Justice Singh joining Justice Tom, with Presiding Justice Acosta at the helm. Diversity on the bench is being strongly reflected on the First Department bench, and we are gratified to be witnessing this historic development firsthand.”

“We join in congratulating Justice Oing and Justice Singh on their appointment by Governor Cuomo,” says Linda Lin, co-chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee. “We also wish to recognize Justice Tom on his exemplary service as Acting Presiding Justice, during which time he cleared a significant backlog of cases despite having limited resources. We thank Justice Tom for his dedication and commitment to public service, and we congratulate Presiding Justice Rolando Acosta on his appointment.”

Governor Cuomo designated Associate Justice Rolando Acosta as Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, and appointed Supreme Court Justices Cynthia Kern, Peter Moulton, Jeffrey Oing and Anil Singh to fill four Associate Justice vacancies. AABANY congratulates all of Governor Cuomo’s appointees.

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332-2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

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Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org

Follow our blog at www.blog.aabany.org

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aabany

Find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/aabany

May 26, 2017

Press Release: NAPABA Celebrates Confirmation of Judge Amul Thapar to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

NAPABA Celebrates Confirmation of Judge Amul Thapar to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

For Immediate Release
May 25, 2017

For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
[email protected], 202-775-9555

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Judge Amul R. Thapar as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Thapar is the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the Sixth Circuit and the second South Asian American federal appellate court judge in the history of the United States.

“We congratulate Judge Thapar on his historic confirmation,” said Cyndie M. Chang, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) president. “The confirmation of Judge Thapar gives testament to the strides made by the Asian Pacific American community in recent years. It is a fitting and momentous way to conclude and celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.”

With Judge Thapar’s confirmation, five Asian Pacific Americans sit as federal appellate court judges out of almost 175 nationwide.

Judge Thapar is a 2015 recipient of the NAPABA Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award and served as the keynote speaker at the 2007 NAPABA Convention. In 2007, NAPABA strongly supported President George W. Bush’s nomination of Judge Thapar to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, where upon confirmation, he became the first South Asian American Article III judge in the U.S.

Throughout Judge Thapar’s career, he has shown thoughtfulness, fairness, and understanding of his roles in public service. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Thapar was the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and was an assistant U.S. attorney. He began his legal career in private practice following clerkships with Judge S. Arthur Speigel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and Judge Nathaniel R. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is a graduate of Boston College and the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

NAPABA is proud to have supported Judge Thapar, including providing testimony in support of his nomination and meeting with Senators during NAPABA’s annual Lobby Day. We thank President Trump for nominating Judge Thapar, and NAPABA thanks Senators McConnell and Paul for recommending Judge Thapar to the White House.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].