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ENSURING LANGUAGE ACCESS IN NEW YORK COURTS

Judge
Raja Rajeswari made history as the first South Asian woman to be appointed to
Criminal Court in the history of New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio in April of
2015. She is a proud member of AABANY and we were pleased to support
her during her history making appointment process in 2015. Being an immigrant herself who is multi-lingual, she fully
understands the special challenges that individuals with limited English
proficiency face and her goal in becoming a judge was to provide access to
justice for every individual who encounters our court system regardless of the
language they speak. She was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Court
Interpreting in November of 2015 and is currently chairing the subcommittee for
courthouse environment.

On
Tuesday, March 28, 2017, Judge Raja Rajeswari will be joining a panel of speakers
at the New York City Bar Stimson Room at an event titled “We All Speak Justice
Here! Ensuring Language Access in New York Courts” at 6:30PM
at 42 West 44th
Street, New York NY 10036.  The
increasing linguistic diversity of our city and state poses challenges as the
court system provides access to justice for New Yorkers with limited spoken
English proficiency. The event is free and open to the public. If interested in
attending, please RSVP to LESTERNICOLE@GMAIL.COM

Judge Rajeswari has requested that we publish the information
below from
the Office of Court Administration to all our members and wants to encourage everyone to pass this
information along to anyone who is bilingual or multi lingual and may be interested in becoming a language interpreter
in New York.

The Written English Proficiency Exam (LANGUAGES OTHER
THAN SPANISH) will be held on June 17, 2017. The deadline to submit applications
is on April 7, 2017. To apply Download the Per-Diem
Application Form. For more information about these exams please see the Written
and Oral Exam Guide. All applicants must successfully pass both
the Written and Oral Exams in order to provide court interpreting services in
the New York State Unified Court System. Exam
schedules are posted on the court system’s website: http://nycourts.gov/careers/exams.shtml  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and scheduled exam
dates will be posted online. Applicants will be notified by mail of the
exam date and location.

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In-House Counsel Profile: Target Corp.’s Don Liu

In-House Counsel Profile: Target Corp.’s Don Liu

Don H. Liu, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Target Corp., was the subject of an in-house counsel profile in the March 27 issue of the National Law Journal. Here is an excerpt (thanks to Advisory Committee member Carol Lee):

Though Liu went to law school to be a civil rights lawyer, his path after included a year as a clerk at the New Jersey Supreme Court and then about five years in private practice specializing in securities and M&A.

Liu began his in-house career at Aetna Inc. and then moved on to Toll Brothers Inc. and Xerox Corp. before landing at Target in August 2016. “I honestly went in-house without a lot of information about how my role would change [compared to my role at a firm],” he said. “Every aspect of the trade I learned through practice.”

For the full article follow the link in the title (subscription required).

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Tan Dun—Symphony of Colors: Terracotta and Hero Concerto

The Met is excited to present Tan Dun—Symphony of Colors: Terracotta and Hero Concerto. 

World Premiere Featuring The Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by Tan Dun

Friday, March 31 at 7 pm

Encore: Saturday, April 1 at 2pm

The exhibition Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C.–A.D. 220), on view April 3–July 16, 2017, brings to The Met the terracotta warrior sculptures that were buried with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect him in the afterlife. To celebrate this extraordinary exhibition, The Met commissioned a new work from composer Tan Dun—Terracotta Symphony, based on music from his opera, The First Emperor, featuring terracotta drums sourced specifically for this piece. Also on the program is Hero Concerto for violin and orchestra, with music drawn from Tan Dun’s film score for Zhang Yimou’s Hero.

Purchase tickets here.

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NAPABA Congratulates Judge Amul R. Thapar on Pending Nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

For Immediate Release
March 21, 2017

For More Information, Contact: 
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
bschuster@napaba.org, 202-775-9555

WASHINGTON — On Monday, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Judge Amul R. Thapar to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. If confirmed, Judge Thapar would be the second South Asian American judge to ever serve on a federal appeals court and the fifth active Asian Pacific American federal appellate Article III judge.

“We congratulate Judge Thapar on the announcement of the President’s intent to nominate him to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit,” said Cyndie M. Chang, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Judge Thapar has a long record of dedicated public service and, during his nine years on the bench, has demonstrated his excellence as a fair jurist who has the integrity and intellect to serve ably on the appellate court.”

After his confirmation by voice vote to his current seat in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Judge Thapar became the nation’s first South Asian American Article III judge in 2008. He was the first, and still is, the only Asian Pacific American Article III judge in the courts encompassed by the Sixth Circuit.

Judge Thapar is a 2015 recipient of the NAPABA Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award. He served as the keynote speaker at the 2007 NAPABA Convention and received the NAPABA Best Under 40 Award. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Thapar was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and 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 University and the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

NAPABA commends President Trump for announcing his intent to nominate Judge Thapar to the Sixth Circuit. 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 bschuster@napaba.org.

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 almost 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).

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YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE! JOIN THE “BE THE MATCH” REGISTRY TODAY

As you may have heard, former NAPABA Trailblazer Award recipient, Orange County Asian American Bar Association’s (OCAABA) founding president and retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Nakazato is currently receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and will need a bone marrow (stem cell) donor soon. As described in the link, his likelihood of finding a matching donor through the national registry is currently slim, because relatively few donors of Asian descent are registered. As OCAABA’s president, spread the word through your fellow memberships to encourage members of Asian descent to sign up with the national registry. Perhaps one of them will end up being a match for Judge Nakazato, or saving another life.

If you are Asian and 50 or under, please visit https://bethematch.org/ and click JOIN to see if you can save a life! Enter the promo code “hope4art” to be included in the online drive for Judge Nakazato.

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2017 NAPABA LOBBY DAY

Join us for NAPABA Lobby Day 2017, which will be held in Washington, D.C., from May 22-23, 2017. This event is an opportunity for NAPABA members from across the country to educate members of Congress and congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community. Lobby Day also gives members an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans. Learn more about the event here.

Stipend Applications | Due March 22, 2017
Stipends are available for NAPABA direct members traveling to Lobby Day from out of town.

Lobby Day Registration | April 12, 2017
Register for all events and apply for a stipend online on the NAPABA website.

Hotel | Book by April 21, 2017
NAPABA has secured a room block through Hyatt Place Washington, D.C./U.S. Capitol. The rate is $239/night plus applicable taxes & fees. Book your hotel by April 21 here.

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