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Asian American Bar Association of New York and South Asian Bar Association of New York Congratulate Sanket Bulsara on his Appointment as U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 30, 2017

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director

(212) 332-2478

NEW YORK — August 30, 2017. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) applaud the Honorable Sanket J. Bulsara on his historic appointment to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Asian Pacific Americans are significantly under-represented in the federal judiciary, including in New York.  Upon his appointment, Judge Bulsara became the first South Asian American to serve as a judge within the Second Circuit.

Judge Bulsara was born in the Bronx but has been a resident and an active community member of Queens, where his parents first lived upon immigrating to the United States from India.  He began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for the Honorable John G. Koeltl of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Bulsara then worked as an associate at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP in Los Angeles, California, before returning to New York in 2004, where he worked as a Manager of Planning and Data Analysis for the New York City Department of Education.

In 2005, Judge Bulsara joined the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP as an associate and was elevated to partner in 2012, becoming the first Asian Pacific American litigation partner in the firm’s New York office.  At WilmerHale, he developed a trial-centered practice, while also developing the firm’s pro bono practice.  His trial experience included a secondment from 2007 to 2008, when he worked as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, for which he received an Outstanding Service Award.

Prior to his appointment, he worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as the Acting General Counsel and the Deputy General Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Adjudication and Enforcement.

“AABANY congratulates Judge Bulsara on his appointment and commends the Eastern District of New York for not only appointing a highly qualified candidate to this important position but also recognizing a continuing commitment to a bench reflecting the diversity of the general population,” states AABANY President Dwight Yoo. “Judge Bulsara follows in the path blazed by Judge Go, Judge Kuo, Judge Matsumoto and Judge Chen in the EDNY and blazes his own trail by being the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit. We are proud to count Judge Bulsara among the most distinguished of our members and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role at the EDNY.”

“SABANY is proud to congratulate Judge Bulsara as he enters the judiciary,“ states SABANY President Mahesh Parlikad. "Judge Bulsara exemplifies what it means to be a public servant, and as the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit, his appointment resonates with a growing South Asian population in New York and across the nation. He is a role model for SABANY members and beyond. We are excited by the significance of an increasingly diverse EDNY bench at this time, particularly when other federal judicial nominations are lacking in diversity, and we are eager to continue to work with Judge Bulsara to serve our communities.”

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

Hurricane Harvey Relief | Resources for Attorneys

“The real test of legal aid’s capacity will come after the rain stops.”

The Atlantic

Dear NAPABA Members,

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by the terrible storms and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. While we are stunned by the images and stories coming out of the region, we are inspired by the compassion and sense of community on display.

NAPABA and our Texas affiliates, the Austin Asian American Bar Association, the Asian American Bar Association of Houston, and the Dallas Asian American Bar Association; the South Asian Bar Association of Houston; and the Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association are working with community leaders to assist with the recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. We recognize that this is a time for the legal community to step up and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our colleagues and communities in the region during the long recovery ahead.

To assist attorneys and community members find resources and information for the Asian Pacific American community, we have established Hurricane Harvey disaster relief toolkit to direct you to information and opportunities to engage with legal services organizations.

We encourage you to direct all requests for assistance to the Texas legal aid organizations via the Texas state disaster relief helpline: 1-800-504-7030.

The State Bar of Texas has established a database for volunteer attorneys who wish to provide services to victims. By special order of the Texas Supreme Court, out-of-state attorneys may practice in Texas if they are volunteering to serve hurricane victims, subject to conditions such as working through a legal aid program. Due to the situation on the ground, out-of-state attorneys are encouraged to sign up to receive information before attempting to travel to the Houston-area. Attorneys in Houston are encouraged to sign-up to volunteer through Houston Volunteer Lawyers.

We expect that there will be a need for bilingual attorneys in many languages, particularly those who speak the following Asian languages: Cambodian, Chinese (multiple dialects needed), Gujarati, Hindi, Hmong, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Vietnamese, and others. We also expect there will be a significant need for volunteers with knowledge of federal benefits, claims, immigration, and/or insurance law.

Due to the nature of the disaster, these communities will need sustained help that last months and years. It is our hope that communities across the region receive the legal assistance they will need and that Asian Pacific American attorneys join those in service. We will continue to monitor the situation and work with local legal organizations to provide you with opportunities to assist the community.

The Hurricane Harvey disaster relief toolkit will be continuously updated with additional resources and projects. If you have additional resources to share, please email Navdeep Singh, policy director, at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Cyndie Chang
NAPABA President

NAPABA Condemns the President’s Decision to End the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program

For Immediate Release
Sept. 5, 2017                                                 

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) condemns President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), a program that protects eligible undocumented youth from deportation and provides them with work permits. Approximately 800,000 individuals, including over 30,000 Asian Pacific Americans, benefitted from the program.

“Ending protections for some of the most vulnerable in the immigrant community is a step back from progress. President Trump’s decision means that hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their families now face an uncertain future,” said NAPABA President Cyndie M. Chang. “DACA protected undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children from being suddenly deported from the country in which they grew up, went to school, and now work. There is bipartisan support for the protection of these young individuals.

“The Administration’s decision and their enforcement priorities underscore the need for Congress to enact meaningful immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship,” continued President Chang. “We urge Congress to take a first step and protect these youth by passing the bipartisan DREAM Act, sponsored by Senators Graham and Durbin. We stand with our immigrant communities, and urge our elected officials to do the same.”

The end of DACA will hurt every industry and community. Individuals protected by DACA are an integral part of the America’s present and future. They contribute to the American economy and to our rich and diverse culture. The Cato Institute estimates this decision will cost the United States $60 billion to deport 800,000 students and workers, and result in a loss of $280 billion in economic growth over the next 10 years.

NAPABA stands firmly in support of immigrant communities. Congress must stand with the immigrant community, uphold American values of diversity, acceptance, and inclusion, and work to protect DACA recipients.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or [email protected].