Tag: civil rights

Posted on

HUD LEGAL HONORS PROGRAM

The brochure and application for HUD’s Office of General Counsel Legal Honors program for 2015 Law School graduates are now available online here

The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of General Counsel (OGC) is now accepting applications for our 2015-2016 Legal Honors Program.  The Legal Honors Program is the hiring vehicle for entry-level attorneys for the Office of General Counsel.  Through this program, OGC recruits the most talented and committed law school graduates interested in playing a vital role in helping HUD accomplish its mission to “create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all.”

Legal Honors is the entry level position for attorneys at HUD.  HUD typically hires between 10 and 20 new attorneys each year for its offices in Washington, D.C., and across the United States.  At the completion of the 14-month Legal Honors Program, participants who have gained bar admission typically graduate to attorney positions at the agency.  Additional information regarding the nature of our legal work and office locations can be found in the brochure.  Attorneys at HUD work in a broad range of matters, including program advice, program enforcement, civil rights, litigation, real estate finance and other transactional matters, personnel, labor and procurement.  Information about our programs is available at hud.gov.

The application deadline is September 5, 2014, and that is a firm deadline. 

Posted on

From St John’s and NYU Law Schools: Title VII at 50 Symposium

St. John's University

Title VII at 50 Symposium

The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, landmark legislation prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. By its enactment, notions of equality were more deeply embedded in United States public law. 

The Law Schools of St. John’s University and New York University are very proud to present the collaborative effort assessing the past, present and future of Title VII.

This two-day symposium will include the following topics:

  • The historical origins of Title VII and its current effectiveness
  • Reforms or amendments of Title VII in terms of its scope, implementation or interpretation
  • Important cultural, sociological, and societal changes wrought by Title VII

Visit our website for a full list of presenters.

Dates

Friday, April 4, 2014

St. John’s School of Law

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Belson Moot Court Room
2nd Floor
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439

Saturday, April 5, 2014

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

New York University School of Law

Vanderbilt Hall, Room 210
2nd Floor
40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Hosts
The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development
St. John’s Center for Labor and Employment Law
St. John’s Center for International and Comparative Law
NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law
St. John’s Law Review
Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development
St. John’s Journal of International and Comparative Law

Sponsors
American Arbitration Association
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
LatinoJustice/PRLDEF
New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)
Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)

Registration for Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
The two-day Symposium qualifies for 9 non-transitional practice area CLE credit hours; 4 credits on Friday, 5 credits on Saturday. The CLE fee for each day is $150 or $225 for both days.

Payment
Complete and return the Continuing Legal Education form by April 1, 2014.

For credit card payment, e-mail the completed form to [email protected] or fax it to 718-990-5998. To pay by mail, send checks payable to St. John’s School of Law with the completed CLE form to:

Office of Continuing Legal Education
St. John’s University School of Law
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439

Hardship Guidelines
Hardship tuition reduction is available in special circumstances. Please refer to the form.

For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Posted on

PRESS RELEASE: Accepting Applications for Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT

Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Centre Street
New York, New York 10007

ROBERT A. KATZMANN
CHIEF JUDGE

CATHERINE O’HAGAN WOLFE SALLY PRITCHARD 
CLERK OF COURT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

March 3, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel. The deadline is Friday, May 2, 2014.

Pro Bono Panel members will, at the Court’s invitation or on an appellant’s motion for appointment of counsel, represent pro se litigants in civil appeals that present issues of first impression, complex issues of law or fact, or raise potentially meritorious claims warranting further briefing and oral argument. Pro bono representation will be provided to litigants who would otherwise be unable to pay for counsel and are ineligible for the appointment of counsel pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act.

Cases in which pro bono counsel will be appointed cover a broad range of legal issues. A significant percentage of the cases are prisoner civil rights appeals; others may involve labor and employment, discrimination, social security, immigration and tax law.

Applicants must be admitted to and members in good standing of the Bar of the Second Circuit, or have an application pending before this Court, and have at least three years of appellate experience. Pro Bono Panel members will serve for a term not to exceed three years.

Pro Bono Panel Members who were appointed by the Court in 2011 for a three-year term must submit a new application if they wish to remain on the Panel. A completed application package contains a resume, a written application (available on the Court’s website at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov) and three writing samples, preferably appellate briefs on which the applicant was the primary author. These materials must be submitted to Sally Pritchard, Director of Legal Affairs, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 40 Foley Square, New York, NY 10007, by Friday, May 2, 2014.

Posted on

PRESS RELEASE: NAPABA CONDEMNS ARIZONA LEGISLATION THAT BOLSTERS BUSINESSES’ ABILITY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          February 24, 2014 

Contact: Emily Chatterjee                                                   (202) 775-9555

NAPABA CONDEMNS ARIZONA LEGISLATION THAT BOLSTERS
BUSINESSES’ ABILITY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE
Calls on Governor Jan Brewer to veto bill

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) strongly urges Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto legislation passed by the Arizona state legislature last Thursday that, under the guise of religious freedom, would enable discrimination against individuals who identify as LGBT.

“NAPABA has a long-standing commitment to supporting the civil rights of all members of our community, including our LGBT brothers and sisters,” said William J. Simonitsch, president of NAPABA. “While NAPABA respects the sincerely held religious beliefs of all people, religion has unfortunately been misused by some historically as an excuse to oppress people of color and people of other religions. For many it justified slavery, segregation, and the criminalizing of interracial marriages. The employment of a religious justification to now excuse the discrimination of LGBT people is just as reprehensible.”

If Governor Brewer does not veto Arizona House Bill 2153/Senate Bill 1062 by this coming Friday, Arizona will soon allow individuals and for-profit corporations to discriminate against anyone if they claim to be acting in the name of their religious convictions. This includes refusing services to members of the LGBT community and denying equal benefits to women in the workplace. On its face, it could be used as justification for discriminating against anyone, on any grounds, so long as a free religious exercise claim is asserted.

“As a long-time citizen of Arizona and as a former President of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association, I believe that this bill does not represent our state, and we categorically denounce this and all legislation targeting disenfranchised groups, including the LGBT and immigrant communities,” said George C. Chen, president-elect of NAPABA. “Religious freedom is an important part of our society, but this bill is about legalizing discrimination, not about religious freedom. Governor Brewer needs to veto this bill.”

###

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 over 40,000 attorneys and 67 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service 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.

Posted on

Is Empathy Enough? Racial Justice and the Moral Imagination in the 21st Century

Join the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture and the Fordham Theatre Program for 

Is Empathy Enough? Racial Justice and the Moral Imagination in the 21st Century

Monday, February 24, 2014, 6 p.m.
Fordham University, Pope Auditorium
113 West 60th Street, New York NY 10023

Racial justice remains elusive a half century after the monumental Civil Rights Act of 1964. Where law falls short, could an enriched culture of empathy produce the needed transformation in the American conscience?

Join us for a forum that mines the arts, history and theology to explore the power—and weakness—of empathy as a force for social change.

Featuring
Pun Bandhu, award-winning actor and founding member of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition
Ruben Rosario Rodriguez, author of Racism and God Talk: A Latino/a Perspective 
Ariela Gross, author of What Blood Won’t Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America 
Aimee Meredith Cox, Department of African and African-American Studies, Fordham University

RSVP to [email protected]
Free and open to the public
_____________________

This forum coincides with the Fordham Theatre Program’s production of

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 
By Jackie Sibblies Drury
Directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh

For schedule and ticket information go to FORDHAM.EDU/THEATRE
Posted on

WHIAAPI Forum on Faith-Based and Community Leaders: 9/21

Save the Date

New York AAPI Forum with Faith-Based & Community Leaders

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The City University New York Murphy Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10036

9:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will convene federal officials and faith-based and community leaders in a day-long forum to share key Administration policies on economic growth, immigration, education, and civil rights. The forum will provide leaders and the broader AAPI community critical information and a better understanding of federal resources and services.

The focus of the WHIAAPI Community Forum is to accomplish three key goals:

1.    Establish a space where faith-based and community leaders can meaningfully engage and interact with federal officials; 

2.    Identify policy and programmatic areas of concern, receive feedback, and share local success stories and practices that benefit the AAPI community;

3.    Share opportunities for leaders to collaborate with the Obama administration.

Posted on

Training for Election Voter Hotline

As you know election day, Tuesday, November 6, 2012, is fast approaching and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association’s Civil Rights Committee (MBBA-CRC) is working hard to ensure that everyone who desires to vote is armed with the correct information to make their vote count!

As attorneys, we are well equipped to answer voters’ questions and it is incumbent upon us to protect the right to vote. Our vote is a vote that many fought long and hard to be counted. We are asking our members to stand up and donate their legal minds to ensure that all who desire to vote in this historical election will have the opportunity to vote.

Please joing MBBA and The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law to educate voters via the Election Protection hotline on Monday, November 5, 2012 and Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

We will train for the hotline on Thursday, October 25, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Proskauer Rose LLP, Eleven Times Square, New York, NY. If this date is not suitable for your schedule, we will have other training dates. However, we strongly urge you to train on that date so that we can train as a collective.

Please register for the training at http://signup.lawyerscommittee.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/index.sjs?event_KEY=59351 Once you have registered for the training, we ask that you email Cenceria Edwards- Chair MBBA-CRC at [email protected] confirming your attendance.

Upon completion of the training, you will be able to register with the MBBA team for the hotline shifts for November 5, 2012 and November 6, 2012. The shifts are between 3-5 hours.

If you should have any questions regarding this training, please email Cenceria Edwards at [email protected].

Help the MBBA make a difference and protect this constitutional right. Protect the vote!

Posted on

AALDEF Night at the Theater: Hold These Truths

Join the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund for a night at the theater!

Hold These Truths

A one-man show inspired by the true story of Japanese American civil rights hero Gordon Hirabayashi.  Agonizing over the forced removal of Japanese Americans to concentration camps during World War II, Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America’s triumphs – and a confrontation with its failures.  www.EpicTheatreEnsemble.org/HoldTheseTruths
 

Monday, October 22, 6:30 PM*
Epic Theatre at the 14th Street Y
344 E. 14th Street, NYC

With a special Q&A after the performance with playwright Jeanne Sakata and former Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal

Tickets: $35 
To purchase tickets, call 212.966.5932 x212.

* * *

Jeanne Sakata made her playwriting debut with her solo play, Hold These Truths (formerly Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi), which received its world premiere in November 2007 in Los Angeles. The play was also the inspiration and theatrical centerpiece for the 2009 civil rights symposium on the Hirabayashi case at the University of Tennessee, “Civil Liberties, National Security and the Legacies of the Japanese Removal and Incarcerations.”

Neal Katyal is a partner at Hogan Lovells in Washington, DC.  He previously served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States and as a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.  Katyal has argued several cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, including Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), a constitutional challenge to the military tribunals at Guantanamo. 

*Note early curtain time. The event will end in time for you to watch the presidential debate that evening!