Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
AABANY is sad to receive the news that our friend Han Choi, a NAPABA trailblazer, mentor and leader, is battling cancer. In his honor, a scholarship fund has been created, to be administered by the NAPABA Law Foundation.
For more details on the fund and to lend your support, please click here.
REGISTRATION
Registration for the Southeast Regional Conference, hosted by Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, is now open! The conference will take place at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead and kick off with GAPABA’s Annual Gala on April 12 followed by continuing legal education sessions on April 13. Click here to register.
HOTEL
GAPABA is proud to partner with the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead for the Southeast Regional Conference & Gala. The InterContinental is offering a block of discounted rooms at a rate of $189 plus taxes and fees. Click here to make a reservation.
GOLF TOURNAMENT
GAPABA is also hosting a Golf Tournament on the morning of April 12 to benefit the NAPABA Law Foundation and GAPABA Law Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Golf Tournament.
SPONSOR THE CONFERENCE
Consider sponsoring the Southeast Regional Conference. View our sponsorship packages here.
Visit us at www.gapaba.org/gala to learn more about the Southeast Regional Conference.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Join the NAPABA Board for dinner in Vancouver, British Columbia! Coinciding with the ABA Annual Meeting, the NAPABA Board & Member dinner will take place on Friday, Feb. 2, from 7–10 p.m. The dinner is a fantastic opportunity to mix and mingle with NAPABA leadership and to meet other local affiliate members. The registration fee is $55. Follow the link in the title to register. Deadline: Jan. 30.
Washington, DC | May 7-8, 2018
Join us for NAPABA’s 2018 Lobby Day in Washington, DC, from May 7-8, 2018. Lobby Day is an opportunity for our NAPABA members from across the country to come and meet with members of Congress and congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community. Lobby Day is a way for members to play an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans.
Participants will meet with legislators and voice their perspectives on a range of topics. As a participant, you will be given all the information and materials you will need to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill. Registration for Lobby Day includes a webinar training prior to Lobby Day as well as onsite training the day of meetings so that all participants are prepared for meetings with congressional members and staffers.
Registration
Register for Lobby Day here.
Deadline to register is April 6, 2018.
Stipend
Stipends are available for NAPABA direct members traveling to Washington, DC, from out-of-town.
Deadline to submit an application is March 9, 2018.
Congressional Reception
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NAPABA will host a Congressional Reception bringing together Lobby Day participants, members of Congress and their staff, and leaders in the Asian Pacific American community.
This event is open to the public, including NAPABA members who are unable to participate in Lobby Day.
Hotel
NAPABA has secured a room block through Hyatt Place Washington DC/U.S. Capitol.
Rate | $229/night (plus applicable taxes & fees)
Address |33 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002
Last day to book a room is April 6, 2018.
Reserve your room online here, or call Reservations at 1-888-492-8847.
Visit our 2018 Lobby Day page for more information.
A new year brings new NAPABA Inspirational Videos! Our January feature showcases Mia Yamamoto, renowned criminal defense attorney and civil rights activist, who was “born doing time” in the Poston War Relocation Center during the period of Japanese-American incarceration. Learn why Ms. Yamamoto was inspired to pursue a career in law by her father—a lawyer for the NAACP and ACLU—and how her self-defined “prison legacy” helps her connect with clients who have limited access to justice.
Be sure to discuss and share Ms. Yamamoto’s story on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag, #NAPABAInspirationalSeries.
Find the entire NAPABA Inspirational Video Series online at napaba.org/inspirationalseries.
About Mia Yamamoto
Ms. Yamamoto is a distinguished and successful criminal defense attorney in Southern California. She has tried over 200 jury trials and represented thousands of clients accused of criminal offenses, including murder, assault, sex offenses, drug offenses, theft, white-collar offenses, regulatory offenses, and DUI.
Ms. Yamamoto is a former deputy public defender and has been in private practice since 1985. She is the past president of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, past president of the Japanese American Bar Association, past president of the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, as well as co-founder and past chair of the Multi-Cultural Bar Alliance (a coalition of minority, women, and LGBT bar associations in Los Angeles).
For Immediate Release
Dec. 20, 2017
WASHINGTON — Today, President Trump nominated Jill A. Otake to the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. If confirmed, Otake will be the 21st active Asian Pacific American federal district judge and the third active Asian Pacific American judge serving in the District of Hawaii. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds this decision.
“Jill Otake is a well-qualified and dedicated public servant who will ably serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii,” said Pankit J. Doshi, president of NAPABA. “She is recognized for her skill as a prosecutor and as a longtime leader in the legal community. I urge the Senate to confirm her to the bench.”
Otake is the acting chief of the Special Crime Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, having previously served as deputy chief since 2014. She spent nine years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Prior to that she was a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County, Washington. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her stellar work in the legal system, including awards and accolades by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Justice.
She is a leader in her community, both in Hawaii and Washington. Otake is co-chair of the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee and was a fellow of the bar’s Leadership Institute. Otake has served as co-president of the Asian American Bar Association of Washington — a NAPABA affiliate, as the judicial evaluations chair, and on the board of directors and chair of the Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations Committee in Washington. In addition to her service to the Asian Pacific American community, Otake has contributed to the advancement of women in the legal field and her community as a mentor for Hawaii Women Lawyers and volunteer attorney for Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii.
Otake serves as an instructor on issues related to trial practice. She was an instructor for the inaugural Hawaii Federal Trial Academy, sponsored by the U.S. District Court and the Federal Bar Association. She was an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the Seattle University Law School and a speaker during the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Mandatory Bar Professionalism Course.
A graduate of the Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii, she received her degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Washington School of Law. She clerked for the Honorable Associate Justice Simeon R. Acoba, Jr., of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
NAPABA thanks President Trump for nominating Jill A. Otake to the bench and Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz for recommending her to the White House. NAPABA recommended Otake earlier this year.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [email protected].
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 over 80 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).
For Immediate Release
Dec. 19, 2017
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, on the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark case, Korematsu v. United States (1944), Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.) introduced the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2017. The legislation would make it clear that the discriminatory detentions endorsed in Korematsu are prohibited.
“The specter of the Korematsu decision haunts us to this day,” said National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) President Pankit J. Doshi. “With this bill, Congress has the chance to repudiate the Supreme Court’s ruling and prevent the country from repeating a dark chapter of our nation’s history. We thank Senators Duckworth and Hirono, and Representative Takano, for their leadership in trying to overturn this widely condemned decision. As leaders in the legal profession and in recognition of our history as Asian Pacific Americans, NAPABA fully supports the introduction and passage of this legislation.”
“We, as a nation, must never forget or repeat the horrors thousands of Japanese Americans experienced as prisoners within our own borders. We must also continue to do everything we can to ensure such a national travesty never happens again. I’m proud to introduce this bill with Senator Hirono in remembrance of my dear friend and former colleague Mark Takai to reinstate our commitment to protecting civil liberties and strengthen our resolve to ensure we never again repeat such shameful acts,”said Senator Duckworth.
“The internment of Japanese Americans was deeply wrong and set a precedent — that it should never happen again. However, the President and his administration continue to advance divisive policies and rhetoric that demonize the Muslim community and other minority communities. By repudiating this legal precedent that could allow a travesty like the internment to happen again, we are standing up for the civil rights of all communities, a worthy cause that I’m sure our friend Mark Takai would have joined us on,”said Senator Hirono.
“This legislation is an important acknowledgement of the injustice suffered by my grandparents, parents, and more than 115,000 others who were relocated and imprisoned based on nothing more than their heritage,” said Representative Mark Takano. “This stain on our history must serve as a warning of what happens when we allow fear and hate to overwhelm our basic respect for one another. I am proud to introduce this legislation in the House, and I could not think of a more appropriate way to honor the memory of Congressman Mark Takai, who was a good friend, a great public servant, and an even better person.”
Read the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2017.
The bill, named in honor of Fred Korematsu and Rep. Mark Takai, would amend the Non-Detention Act of 1971 to bar detentions or imprisonment based on protected characteristics, including race or religion. The Non-Detention Act sought to repeal the Emergency Detention Act of 1950, a law that continued the legacy of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 individuals on the basis of their Japanese ancestry under the guise of “military necessity” and national security. The Supreme Court found the orders constitutional following challenges by Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui.
NAPABA worked with the offices of Sens. Duckworth, Hirono, and Rep. Takano, the Korematsu family and coram nobis legal teams, and civil rights groups to draft the bill that honors the legacy of Fred Korematsu, recognizes the history of Japanese American incarceration, and seeks to overturn the impact of the Supreme Court’s holding in Korematsu v. United States.
NAPABA is proud to join leading groups in the Asian Pacific American community — the Korematsu Institute, Stop Repeating History, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the Japanese American Citizens League, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC — as original endorsers of the bill.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [email protected].
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 over 80 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).
For Immediate Release
Dec. 14, 2017
Download a copy of “Interpreting Injustice.”
WASHINGTON — At a briefing on Capitol Hill, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) released “Interpreting Justice: Progress and Challenges in Language Access,” a report on language access for Asian Pacific Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP).
“Interpreting Justice” provides recommendations on policies, strategies, and best practices for legal, government, and community stakeholders to further diminish barriers to language access services for Asian Pacific Americans. “Interpreting Justice” finds that while overall progress has been made in the past 10 years, LEP individuals continue to struggle with limitations on languages interpreted, costs of interpretation, inconsistent interpreter quality, insufficient language assistance inside and outside of the courtroom, and a lack of translated written materials.
“This important report demonstrates the progress federal and state courts and agencies have made in the past decade, but underscores the continued need to improve language access services for the Asian Pacific American communities all over the country,” said NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi. “NAPABA’s language access report, ‘Interpreting Justice,’ provides an updated picture on how the federal and state courts and agencies accommodate for the fastest growing population in the United States, Asian Pacific Americans.”
The diverse array of languages and dialects, particularly among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, presents great challenges to ensure quality interpretation in both federal and state courts.“Interpreting Justice” recommends improving rules and standards for the use of interpreters, creating and providing translations of vital documents, and prioritizing appropriate training and compensation to maintain a pool of highly qualified interpreters.
Access for people with limited English proficiency in state courts progressed in the last decade, but access still varies greatly by state. More state courts and agencies have adopted language access plans or require certified interpreters, but states remain inconsistent with compliance with language access requirements. Much of the progress state and local agencies achieved for LEP individuals was the result of collaboration with advocates and community stakeholders.
NAPABA’s report also recognizes funding for language access as one of the largest barriers for LEP individuals and programs designed for LEP individuals. Federal budget cuts and the lack of awareness of language services for the LEP community creates a required increased emphasis on pursuing other forms or channels of funding, often stretching organizational capacity. NAPABA’s report recommends a number of feasible measures to counteract the underfunding.
“Interpreting Justice” builds on the work NAPABA started in 2007 with its groundbreaking report, “The State of Language Access for Asian Pacific Americans,” a culmination of NAPABA’s longstanding commitment to advance equal access to justice for Asian Pacific Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP) and widely used in creating new national standards on language access in the courts.
To access the full report, click here.
The report is a project of the NAPABA Research Institute led by the NAPABA Pro Bono and Community Service Committee. The report was released during a Congressional briefing in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, featuring remarks delivered by Congresswoman Grace Meng (N.Y.–6), held in conjunction with the NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [email protected]. Questions about the 2017 report may be sent to Oriene Shin at 202-775-9555, or at [email protected].
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 over 80 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).