In the News: Judge Pamela K. Chen Rules New York Ban on Nunchucks Unconstitutional

On December 14, 2018, AABANY member Judge Pamela K. Chen, of the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York, made news with her decision in Maloney v. Singas. Judge Chen held that a 44 year old New York state law banning nunchucks is unconstitutional. In her ruling, Judge Chen stated that the ban violated both the Second Amendment and State Constitutional right to bear arms.

Judge Chen noted, “The centuries-old history of nunchaku being used as defensive weapons strongly suggests their possession, like the possession of firearms, is at the core of the Second Amendment.”

To read the full New York Times article, go here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/nyregion/nunchuks-ban-overturned-new-york.html


To read the full decision, go here: https://reason.com/assets/db/15451588294642.pdf

Call for Nominations: Membership Director

AABANY thanks everyone who submitted nominations for the election taking place at the Annual Meeting scheduled for February 13, 2019. At this time, we have not received any nominations for the Officer position of Membership Director. If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your nomination materials by no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, December 28.

As set forth in the Bylaws, section 5.4 (g):

The Membership Director shall: (i) receive and process applications or renewals of membership, and promptly notify acceptance or non-acceptance of the same; (ii) create and maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the membership of the Association, including categorizing the Members into their respective membership categories; (iii) maintain mailing addresses for each Member and person or organization doing business with the Association; (iv) advise members when their membership will expire and request renewal of the same; (v) at the request of the President or the Board, prepare a list of Members; and (vi) assist the other Officers in the performance of their respective duties and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board or by the President.

The Membership Director is supported in the above functions by AABANY staff, and per the bylaws, section 6.05, “shall be the Chair of the Membership Committee.  The Membership Committee shall develop recommendations for programs and services that will meet the needs of the membership and encourage new Members to join the Association. The Membership Committee shall assist with the provision of general membership functions, such as application, renewal, and notice of expiration of membership.”

To apply for this Officer position, please submit:
(i) a statement of interest declaring your intent to run; and
(ii) a current resume, biography or CV listing your experience and accomplishments and any honors received to date.

As part of item (i), please indicate your experience with AABANY if you have been an active member, describing any activities that you have participated in or helped to organize. If you have not been an active member in AABANY, explain what capabilities, resources, talents, skills, expertise, experience or any other contributions the Membership Director. Please also identify any activities indicating a dedication and commitment to issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community.

You may email your application in Word or PDF to [email protected]. You may fax your nomination to (718) 228-7206. If you wish to submit by regular mail, it must reach AABANY by no later than close of business, December 28, at the following address:

Best wishes for a happy holiday season!

AABANY Comments on Public Charge Rule

On December 7, 2018, AABANY submitted comments to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in opposition to the rulemaking on Proposed Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds. AABANY wrote:

The Asian American Bar Association of New York believes that this rule change will cause irreparable harm to our community. Many of AABANY’s members are immigrants, or children of immigrants, and are personally impacted by this rule. The Proposed Rule changes the rules of the system in midstream and are directly intended to prevent immigrants from becoming American citizens.

To read the full text of the comments, click here.

AABANY thanks the Community Response Task Force of the Issues Committee for leading this effort on behalf of AABANY.