Tag: NAPABA

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NAPABA, APABA-SF, and GOAABA Celebrate the Repeal of the Alien Land Law from Florida’s Constitution

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida (APABA-SF), and the Greater Orlando Asian American Bar Association (GOAABA) celebrate the repeal of the anti-immigrant “Alien Land Law” from Florida’s Constitution. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Florida voters passed an amendment to repeal the Alien Land Law from their state Constitution. Florida added the provision to its Constitution in the 1920s, as part of an anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment that legally prohibited aliens from holding real estate and real property in Florida.

“Thanks to the efforts of APABA-South Florida, GOAABA, and NAPABA, the discriminatory language of the Alien Land Law will be removed from Florida’s Constitution,” said NAPABA President Daniel Sakaguchi. “This amendment was long overdue. The Alien Land Law enshrined the second-class treatment of immigrants and Asian Pacific Americans under the law. We applaud Florida voters for repealing this vestige of discrimination and anti-immigrant sentiment from their state Constitution.”

“APABA of South Florida is proud that Florida’s voters took to the polls to repeal the Alien Land Law from the state Constitution,” said APABA-SF President Benjamin W. Dowers. “APABA of South Florida thanks NAPABA and GOAABA for working arm-in-arm in collaborating with the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, educating voters through events and information, and reminding people that voting matters. We look forward to working with NAPABA and GOAABA to further social equality in Florida and all other states.”

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NAPABA Announces 2018-19 Vice President for Finance and Development, Newly-Appointed At-Large Board Members, and Regional Governors

NAPABA congratulates Bruce L. Ishimatsu on his election as Vice President for Finance and Development for the 2018-19 bar year. NAPABA also congratulates the newly-appointed at-large members and regional governors of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 bar year.

The following individuals were appointed by the NAPABA Board of Governors to serve for two-year terms as at-large board members:

  • Kristy Gonowon
  • Kristin Haugen

The following individuals were selected by their respective regions to serve two-year terms as regional governors:

  • Hogene Choi | Northern California Region
  • Thy Bui | Southern California Region
  • Craig I. Nakanishi | Northwest Region
  • Brendan Wong | Northeast Region
  • Gregory Schwartz | Central Region

All incoming board members and newly-elected regional governors will serve with continuing elected officers, regional governors and at-large board members for the 2018-19 bar year. They will be sworn into office during the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL.

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NAPABA Announces 2018 President’s Awards Recipients

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to present the 2018 NAPABA President’s Award to Karen Korematsu (Founder & Executive Director, The Fred T. Korematsu Institute) and Dale Minami and Don Tamaki (Partners, Minami Tamaki LLP; members of the Korematsu Coram Nobis legal team) for their work on StopRepeatingHistory.Org, a campaign to educate the public about Japanese American incarceration during WWII and the present-day dangers of similar policies targeting individuals based on race, national origin, or religion. The NAPABA President’s Award is given to NAPABA members who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to NAPABA, the legal community, and the broader Asian Pacific American community.

Karen Korematsu, founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and daughter of the late Fred T. Korematsu, is a leading voice in advocating for civil liberties for all communities, and in 2015, she became NAPABA’s first non-lawyer member. Dale Minami and Dom Tamaki have been involved in significant litigation involving the civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans and other underrepresented groups and served on the pro bono team that reopened the landmark Korematsu v. United States Supreme Court Case, overturning Fred Korematsu’s conviction.

“This year, it is my honor to present the NAPABA President’s Award to Karen Korematsu, Dale Minami, and Don Tamaki for their tireless commitment to the StopRepeatingHistory.Org campaign,” said NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi. “I applaud their efforts to relate the experiences of Japanese American internment during World War II to the infringement on civil rights and civil liberties that many religious and ethnic minorities face today. Their voices have been critical to ensuring that we as a nation never repeat that dark chapter of our history, including as a result of the travel ban impacting Muslim and immigrant communities,  which NAPABA vehemently opposed. While their work in civil rights for decades has already blazed a trail, their continued efforts to advocate for our community without rest is particularly inspirational in today’s world.”

The 2018 NAPABA President’s Award will be presented at the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL, on Nov. 10, 2018. NAPABA congratulates Karen Korematsu, Dale Minami, and Don Tamaki as the 2018 NAPABA President’s Award recipients.

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Judges Needed for Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

If you are an attorney attending the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Chicago this year, we request that you volunteer to serve as a judge in the preliminary and/or quarterfinal rounds of the 2018 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition (Competition).  The Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the NAPABA Law Foundation, an IRC § 501( c )(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of NAPABA.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Competition!  The Competition honors the late Judge Thomas Tang, a champion of individual rights, an advocate for the advancement of minority attorneys, and an ardent supporter of NAPABA.  Judge Tang served on the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1977 until his passing in 1995. To learn more about the competition, click here.

This year’s problem addresses the following issues:

  1. Whether a state university may impose disciplinary sanctions on a student for non-curricular expressive conduct otherwise protected by the First Amendment in order to protect the expressive rights of other.
  2. Whether a state university may expel a law student based on university officials’ determination that her off-campus expressive activity, otherwise protected by the First Amendment, violates the professionalism standards governing attorneys.

The information for the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds is as follows:
Date:  Friday, November 9, 2018
Time:  Preliminary Round One (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), Preliminary Round Two (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), and Quarterfinal Round (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Place:  Sheraton Grand Chicago (301 E. North Water St., Chicago, IL 60611)

Please register online at https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/dicpm to judge one or both of the preliminary rounds and/or the quarterfinal round.  Although the sign-up sheet is getting full, please consider signing up to be an alternate in the event someone needs to make a last minute cancellation. Once you register, you will be emailed the problem, the bench brief, the rules and the oral argument scoring sheets.  Please report to the Tennessee meeting room located on the second level at least 20 minutes before your scheduled round to obtain your room assignment.  We ask that alternates also report to the Tennessee meeting room 20 minutes before your scheduled room to determine if your services are needed for the Competition.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Tran (linda.tran.m37t@statefarm.com) or Leah Gould (gould.leah@gmail.com).

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NAPABA 30th Anniversary Gala: Spotlight on Women

As it celebrates our 30th anniversary, NAPABA is proud to feature an all-women speaker lineup for its Gala and plenary luncheons. It is through their unique perspectives that we shine the spotlight on women who have broken through male-dominated industries, who promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in our workplaces, and those who simply make us laugh! Advance rates are available until Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. Register today to take advantage of additional discounts by clicking here!

Gala headliner Aparna Nancherla started out doing comedy in her hometown of Washington D.C. and now resides in New York City. 2016’s Elle’s Women in Comedy Issue, featured her as one of the most exciting new voices to hit the comedy scene. She is a series regular in the debut season of Comedy Central’s Corporate and has reprised her role in season 2 of HBO’s CRASHING. Aparna is also featured in the second season of Netflix’s The Standups. Other television credits include Netflix’s Master of None and LOVE, HBO’s High Maintenance Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, appearing as a US correspondent for Dave’s (UK) Unspun with Matt Forde, and Hulu’s I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman. In 2018 she makes her feature debut in the Paul Feig movie A Simple Favor.  Her TV stand up appearances include Seeso’s stand up series Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, season 2 of Comedy Central’s Meltdown as well as Adam Devine’s House Party. In 2013, she made her late night stand up debut on TBS’s Conan and was one of the breakout New Faces at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. Her TV writing credits include Late Night with Seth Meyers as well as being a regular correspondent/writer on FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.  She is also an alumna of the NBC Stand Up for Diversity program and currently headlines throughout the world and has been seen at a number of festivals including Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, Portland’s Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Moontower, SF Sketchfest, DC’s Bentzen Ball, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo and Dublin’s Vodaphone Comedy Festival. Aparna’s been featured on and in NPR, Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post Magazine, XM Radio, and Slate V. She can regularly be seen performing at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade’s in LA and NYC. Her debut album Just Putting It Out There was released in July 2016 by Tig Notaro’s label Bentzen Ball Records and hit the #4 on Billboard Comedy Charts.

Seating for the Gala will open at 5:30 pm and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Gala tickets are included with all full registrations and guest tickets may be purchased for $275.

Plenary Luncheons are taking place on the following dates with the following speakers:
Thursday, Nov. 8: A Conversation with Tina Tchen*
Friday, Nov. 9: Two Words: Inclusion Rider with Kalpana Kotagal
Saturday, Nov. 10: Beyond #MeToo with Jane Liu, Lisa Mak, Emily Patajo, Sharyn Tejani, and Jenny Yang

*Advance registration required

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NAPABA Condemns Hate-Fueled Violence in Kentucky and Pennsylvania

The National Asian
Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) strongly and unequivocally
condemns the climate of hate, racism, and anti-Semitism that has fueled
violence against individuals and communities across the nation in the
past week. We are committed to fighting hate crimes by educating and
empowering our community to speak up and act against racially-motivated
rhetoric and conduct, and to hold those accountable who encourage it.

This
past week, a gunman attempted to enter First Baptist Church, a
predominantly African-American church, near Louisville, KY. When he
failed, he entered a local grocery store and murdered two Black people,
an incident the FBI is now investigating as a potential federal hate
crime. Just days later, on Saturday, an anti-Semitic attacker with an
assault rifle killed eleven members of the congregation at Tree of Life
Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.

NAPABA
stands in solidarity with the Jewish and Black communities nationwide,
and pledges to continue working steadily to promote our core values of
acceptance, diversity, and inclusiveness. Our thoughts are with the
families of the victims of the horrendous violence in Kentucky and
Pennsylvania. All people should be able to live their lives and worship
freely without fear.

For more information, the media may contact Nisha Ramachandran, NAPABA interim communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or nramachandran@napaba.org.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).

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NAPABA Call for Nominations

The NAPABA Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election as the Vice President for Finance and Development of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 term, in light of Courtney Fong’s withdrawal. Read his full statement here. The NAPABA Board of Governors makes the organization’s policies for the given year, and consists of nine officers, ten regional governors, and four appointed At-Large Board Members. The responsibilities of board members include, but are not limited to, supporting NAPABA’s mission statement, endorsing NAPABA events and programs, securing financial supporters, and demonstrating the highest standards of integrity and decorum. For a full list of governor responsibilities, click here. 

AABANY members who joined or renewed their NAPABA membership by July 1, 2018, are eligible to vote. Ballots have been delivered by email, and must be cast on or before Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. If you have any questions, you may contact the NAPABA Nominating & Elections Committee Chair George Chen, george.chen@bclplaw.com, or NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka, tmatsuoka@napaba.org. For general inquiries, please contact elections@napaba.org. 

To submit an nomination and for more information regarding this position, click here. The deadline to submit is October 22 at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT.

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NAPABA 2018 Officer Election Results and New Call for Nominations

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NAPABA congratulates the newly-elected officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 board year. They will be sworn into office at the 30th Anniversary Gala during the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL.
The following individuals were elected by the NAPABA membership:

  • President-Elect | Bonnie Lee Wolf
  • Vice President for Finance and Development | Courtney Fong*
  • Vice President for Membership | Alen Hsu
  • Vice President for Programs and Operations | Charles Jung
  • Vice President for Communications | Avanti Bakane
  • Treasurer | Gary Zhao
  • Secretary | Jeffrey Javinar

*Courtney Fong has withdrawn his candidacy to be Vice President for Finance and Development. You can read a statement from him here. As a result, the Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election as the Vice President for Finance and Development of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 term. Submit a nomination here by October 22 at 5 PM. The updated Elections Timeline for this position is included below.

– Oct. 22, 2018: Nominations may be submitted until 5pm ET/2pm PT
– Oct. 24, 2018: Vice President for Finance and Development candidates announced and endorsements accepted
– Oct. 25, 2018: Election ballot will be distributed to eligible voters by email on this date (Members must have joined or renewed by July 1, 2018, to be eligible to vote.)
– Nov. 1, 2018: Candidate endorsements may continue to be submitted until 12pm ET/9am PT on this date. Votes must be cast by 9pm ET/6pm PT on this date in order to be counted
– Nov. 2, 2018: Election results will be announced.

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NAPABA Congratulates APA Nominees to the Second and Ninth Circuits

On Wednesday, President Trump announced his intent to nominate three Asian Pacific Americans to serve on the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Michael H. Park was nominated to serve as a judge on the Second Circuit. Patrick J. Bumatay and Kenneth K. Lee were nominated to serve as judges on the Ninth Circuit. If they are confirmed, the number of active Asian Pacific American federal appellate court judges would increase to a historic ten. Six Asian Pacific Americans have been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals this year, which is the highest number to ever have been nominated to federal appellate courts during a single presidential term. This is also the first time that three Asian Pacific Americans have been nominated to federal appellate court judgeships in a single day.

Michael H. Park is a partner at Consovoy McCarthy Park, where he focuses on litigation and securities enforcement. He has experience in both private practice and government, including in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He clerked for then-Judge Samuel Alito on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and later clerked for Justice Alito on the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School. If confirmed, Park would be the second Asian Pacific American to serve on the Second Circuit.

Patrick J. Bumatay is an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He is currently on detail to the Office of the Attorney General in the Department of Justice. Bumatay has held numerous positions in public service throughout the Department of Justice. He clerked for Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and Judge Sandra L. Townes of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. He is an active member of NAPABA, its affiliated bar—the National Filipino American Lawyers Association—and the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association. If confirmed, Bumatay would be the first Filipino American to serve as an Article III federal appellate judge.

Kenneth Kiyul Lee is a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where his practice focuses on internal investigations and appellate litigation before multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals. He is also member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and maintains a robust pro bono practice. Lee has worked in private practice and as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush. He clerked for Judge Emilio M. Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School. If confirmed, Lee would join Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, the only other active Asian Pacific American judge on the Ninth Circuit.

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NAPABA Opposes Plan to Redefine “Public Charge” and Limit Legal Immigration

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) opposes the proposed changes to “public charge” published Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We urge our members and affiliated bar associations to join NAPABA in submitting public comments opposing the proposed policy.

Public charge policy has roots in long-time efforts to limit the admission of ‘undesirable immigrants,’ such as Chinese in the 19th century. The proposed rule would re-define a public charge as an immigrant who would be likely to receive government benefits from an expanded list of programs, including nutrition and housing assistance programs for children. The proposed rule will make it easier to designate an applicant as a public charge, and deny their admission to the United States or reject their permanent resident application. DHS also proposes stricter guidance for weighing certain factors when reviewing visa applications, such as age, income, health, English proficiency, and employability. NAPABA is greatly concerned with how these changes will negatively impact Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants, working families, and children’s health.

The proposal has already had a chilling effect on Asian Pacific American communities. Due to reports of these proposed changes, some immigrant families—including those with eligible U.S. citizen members—have unenrolled from important public services for which they qualify. If implemented, the new public charge rules would undermine the safety, health, and security of immigrant families by denying them the support historically provided to new Americans. Asian Pacific American communities will be particularly hard hit, as over 31% of new green card recipients are from Asian and Pacific Island nations and as there is significant variation in average income amongst Asian ethnic groups.

Take charge by submitting a comment on the proposed rule before the DHS proceeds with its final rulemaking by the deadline, December 10, 2018. NAPABA will be submitting comments as an organization, but individuals are encouraged to submit unique comments here. To see available resources, please click here. For more information, contact Oriene Shin, NAPABA Policy Counsel, at 202-775-9555 or oshin@napaba.org.

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