judicial Archives - Page 2 of 3

September 24, 2013December 4, 2018

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The 2013 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference took place on Saturday, September 21, at the New York offices of Weil Gotshal & Manges. It started with breakfast and registration at 8:00 am. Panel session 1 began at 9:30 am, featuring CLE programs on “Office Politics 101 – How to Win the Popularity Contest at Work,” “Post-Hurricane Sandy: One Year Later and its Impact on the Northeast,” and “The Nexus of IP and Everything Else in the Universe.” The morning session of the Trial Advocacy Program (TAP) began with a lecture.

Panel session 2 followed at 11:00 am with CLE programs on “How to Get Disbarred: Avoiding Ethics Complaints and What to Do if you Can’t,” “Girlfriends: ‘Lean In’ – When, Where and How,” and “Bright Lights, Big Pharma.” TAP breakout sessions took place, allowing participants to engage in actual exercises based on the morning lecture.

At the same time, during the morning session, the In-House Counsel Forum, Judicial Forum, numerous pitch sessions and the AABANY Career Exchange were simultaneously going on. It was a busy morning.

August 15, 2013

AABANY asks: Have you served as a judicial clerk?

Clerking is an invaluable experience that not only provides excellent practical skills training but also enables you to build close relationships with judges and fellow clerks. For the benefit of our members, AABANY will be holding two information sessions on judicial clerkships in October 2013, possibly one focusing on federal clerkships and the other on state clerkships (more details to come). We would like these sessions to be as robust as possible, and to that end, we’d like to compile a list of all AABANY members who are former clerks to create an informal mentoring circle and to invite to speak at the sessions. If you have clerked for a either a state or federal judge (not an internship/externship), please contact Lina Zhou at [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your help!

May 28, 2013December 4, 2018

April 22, 2013

DERRICK KAHALA WATSON CONFIRMED TO HAWAII DISTRICT COURT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2013

NAPABA Contact: Emily Chatterjee (202) 775-9555
AAJC Contact: Kimberly Goulart (202) 499-7027

DERRICK KAHALA WATSON CONFIRMED TO HAWAII DISTRICT COURT
Watson becomes only person of Native Hawaiian descent to serve on federal bench

WASHINGTON – Today, leaders of the Asian Pacific American community applaud the confirmation of Derrick Kahala Watson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. With a Senate vote of 94-0, he becomes the only person of native Hawaiian descent to currently serve as an Article III judge, and only the fourth in American history.

“Derrick Kahala Watson’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii is an important step forward for our nation,” said Wendy C. Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “With Judge Watson’s well-deserved confirmation, the federal bench will be further diversified. Of note, the District of Hawaii will become the first federal court in U.S. history with a majority of Asian Pacific Americans, as Judge Watson joins Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway and Judge Leslie Kobayashi on the bench.”

“Judge Watson’s confirmation brings with it much needed diversity to the federal bench,” said Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice. “He brings with him not only a history of government service to the bench, but also a personal story that inspires all members of our community.”

Until his confirmation, Watson served as chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. He has deep roots in Hawaii, growing up in a multi-generational household on Oahu that included his mother, who worked at a local bank until her retirement several years ago, and his father, who retired from the Honolulu Police Department. Judge Watson attended the Kamehameha Schools, Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and is the first person in his family to attend college.

NAPABA and AAJC applaud President Obama for nominating Judge Watson to the bench and thank the late Senator Inouye, former Senator Akaka, and Senators Schatz and Hirono for their recommendation and support of Judge Watson’s nomination.

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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 63 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.

The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice (www.advancingjustice.org) works to promote a fair and equitable society for all by working for civil and human rights and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities, and is comprised of the Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org), the Asian American Institute (www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (www.apalc.org).

April 15, 2013

NAPABA Submits Testimony in Support of Srinivasan Nomination

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2013

Contact: Emily Chatterjee
(202) 775-9555

NAPABA SUBMITS TESTIMONY AND URGES SWIFT CONFIRMATION
OF SRI SRINIVASAN TO BECOME THE FIRST INDIAN AMERICAN
FEDERAL APPELLATE COURT JUDGE IN THE NATION’S HISTORY

WASHINGTON, DC – In anticipation of tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on the nomination of Srikanth “Sri” Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) submitted testimony in strong support of Srinivasan’s confirmation. If confirmed, he will be the first Indian American to serve as a federal appellate court judge in the nation’s history. He also would be the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the D.C. Circuit.

As noted in NAPABA’s testimony, the nomination is especially important to the Asian Pacific American community, given that out of the approximately 175 active federal appellate court judges, there are currently only two who are Asian Pacific American. Moreover, the fact that over 3.1 million Indian Americans live in the United States, the lack of any Indian American federal appellate court judge is notable.

Srinivasan has received extremely high praise from all segments of the legal community. The list includes numerous federal judges (including Justice Sandra Day O’Connor), former government officials, and professors. These individuals include officials and judges appointed by the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama Administrations. They invariably have described Srinivasan as “a tremendous lawyer,” “one of the very smartest, most talented,” and “especially gifted.” All of them state that Srinivasan will be an “excellent” or “tremendous” appellate court judge.

NAPABA urges for Srinivasan’s prompt confirmation. As NAPABA’s testimony stated, “Sri Srinivasan would make an immediate contribution as a federal circuit judge. His qualifications, integrity, intellect, and commitment to the justice system are unquestionable. He also brings with him an all-American life story that is inspiring.”

A copy of NAPABA’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee can be found here.

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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 63 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members represent 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 federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

April 15, 2013

Metropolitan Black Bar Association Press Release: Hon. Sheila Abdus-Salaam

President R. Nadine Fontaine of the Metropolitan Black Bar is pleased to announce that Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated the Honorable Sheila Abdus-Salaam to the New York State Court of Appeals. If confirmed, Justice Abdus-Salaam will be the first African-American woman to sit on the highest court of this State. Her confirmation will fill the vacancy created by the untimely passing of Associate Justice Theodore T. Jones, Jr.

Click HERE for the press release.

April 1, 2013

Joint Diverse Bar Association Judicial Screening Panel – Court of Appeals

From the MBBA:

The Joint Diverse Bar Association Judicial Screening Panel (the “Panel”) has interviewed and rated judicial candidates nominated by the New York State Commission on Judicial Nominations to fill the vacancy on the New York State Court of Appeals, which was created by the untimely passing of Associate Judge Theodore T. Jones, Jr. The Panel was comprised of members of various affinity bar associations including the Asian American Bar Association of New York, the Association of Black Women Attorneys, the Black Bar Association of Bronx County, the Dominican Bar Association, the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, the Macon B. Allen Bar Association (of Queens County), the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association of New York.

Click HERE to read the Press Release.

Thank you for your support of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association.

Best,

Metropolitan Black Bar Association

Website:www.mbbanyc.org
Contact Us: [email protected] at(212) 964-1645
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Association in the “Find Events Section”)
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March 15, 2013

In Our Own Backyards: The Need For a Coordinated Judicial Response to Human Trafficking

Congratulations to Hon. Toko Serita, New York Criminal Court Judge (and AABANY member), who was recently published in the NYU Review of Law & Social Change, in an important article entitled, “In Our Own Backyards: The Need for a Coordinated Judicial Response to Human Trafficking,” Volume 36, Issue 4, page 635. To read more click on the link in the title.

March 14, 2013

2013 Judicial Campaign Ethics Training and Guidance

The Judicial Campaign Ethics Center has posted a notice concerning some resources and requirements that may be of interest to attorneys who are considering a campaign for elective judicial office this year in New York State, or who may be asked to serve on a judicial candidate’s campaign committee.

Download a copy of this notice here.

Further questions or comments may be directed to [email protected] or
1-888-600-JCEC (5232).

March 8, 2013

AABANY WELCOMES AND APPLAUDS THE CONFIRMATION OF PAMELA K. CHEN TO THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

NEW YORK – March 5, 2013 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) welcomes and applauds the confirmation of Pamela K. Chen to serve as a federal district court judge in the Eastern District of New York. On March 4, 2013, the United States Senate confirmed Pamela Chen by a voice vote to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. “AABANY is delighted to learn that Pamela Chen has been confirmed to serve on the Eastern District of New York bench,” said Mike Huang, President of AABANY. “Ms. Chen is the first Chinese-American female Article III judge outside of California and the second-ever Chinese-American female federal judge in U.S. history, continuing to add to the rich legacy of the Second Circuit and New York State. AABANY applauds President Obama and Senator Schumer for their continued commitment to diversifying the Federal Judiciary.”

Asian Pacific Americans (“APA”) are significantly under-represented in the Federal Judiciary, including in New York State. In fact, according to the 2010 Census, approximately 8.3% of the population of New York State and 14.0% of the population of New York City consists of Asian Americans, and the APA percentage continues to grow at a rate that outpaces all other ethnic groups in the State. In the Eastern District of New York, Ms. Chen joins Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto as the two Article III judges of APA descent in a district that serves the growing APA communities of Flushing, Queens and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

“With her confirmation, Ms. Chen joins the growing number of Asian Americans who have been recognized for distinguished service on the federal courts,” said Theodore K. Cheng, Co-chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee. “Although Asian Americans remain under-represented at all levels in the Federal Judiciary, President Obama and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand ought to be commended for their tireless dedication to increasing diversity on the federal bench.”

After spending the first five years of her career in the private sector, Ms. Chen began a dedicated and much longer career in public service, with a distinct focus on civil rights work. Ms. Chen served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. She then moved to New York City in 1998 and became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (“USAO EDNY”). There, she was promoted to Chief of Civil Rights Litigation, Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section, and then finally to Chief of the Civil Rights Section. Ms. Chen held that last position since July 2006 except for a brief period of time in 2008 when she accepted an opportunity to serve as the Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement in the New York State Division of Human Rights. She soon returned to the USAO EDNY and has remained there ever since.

AABANY thanks President Obama for nominating Ms. Chen and Senator Charles E. Schumer for recommending her to the President.

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York was formed in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of New York Asian-American attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, paralegals and law students. The mission of AABANY is to improve the study and practice of law, and the fair administration of justice for all by ensuring the meaningful participation of Asian-Americans in the legal profession.

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

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