Tag: NAPABA

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PRESS RELEASE | NAPABA Supports Judges Lucy Koh and Florence Pan at Nomination Hearing

NAPABA Supports Judges Lucy Koh and Florence Pan at Nomination Hearing

WASHINGTON — Today, Judges Lucy H. Koh and Florence Y. Pan sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing on their nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, respectively.

“Today’s hearings demonstrate that Judge Lucy Koh and Judge Florence Pan are two highly qualified nominees,” said Jin Y. Hwang, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) president. “Both are experienced and fair jurists who were unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate for their current positions, and they continue to receive strong bipartisan support. It is also important that these two nominees have been and would be trailblazers for Asian Pacific American women in the federal judiciary.

“NAPABA urges for a prompt vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee and for the Senate to swiftly confirm Judge Koh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Pan to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.”

Judge Lucy H. Koh was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, 90-0, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2010. She enjoys bipartisan support, including former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who appointed her to the Superior Court of California – County of Santa Clara. If confirmed, Judge Koh would become the first Korean American woman to be a circuit court judge and only the second Asian Pacific American woman to serve as a federal appellate court judge.

Judge Florence Y. Pan was confirmed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by unanimous consent by the Senate in 2009, following her nomination by President Obama. She enjoys bipartisan support for her nomination, including former Attorney General Michael Mukasey. If confirmed, Judge Pan will be the first Asian Pacific American woman to serve on the federal district court bench in the District of Columbia.

NAPABA provided testimony in support of Judges Koh and Pan, stating: “Judge Koh and Judge Pan would both make an immediate contribution as a federal circuit court judge and a federal district judge, respectively. Their qualifications, integrity, intellect, and commitment to the justice system are unquestionable. They bring a talent and understanding of the issues before the court, and a willingness to tackle complex issues, that is inspiring… [T]he swift confirmation of both Judge Koh and Judge Pan is important to NAPABA and the Asian Pacific American community.”

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.

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NAPABA Affiliate Dinner | San Francisco| Friday, Aug 5th, 2016

Join NAPABA in San Francisco! NAPABA would like to invite you to join NAPABA and NAPABA Law Foundation leadership at the affiliate dinner. The cost to attend the dinner is $55/person. Guests are welcome, but must be registered. Space is limited.

Click here to register by Aug. 1. Online payment must be received in advance of the dinner.

NAPABA Affiliate Dinner | 7-10 p.m.
Fang Restaurant
660 Howard St.

Looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

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2016 Presidential Town Hall & Voter Protection Training

Join NAPABA and its partners to elevate the voices of the Asian Pacific American community and protect voting rights. Be a part of the 2016 National Asian American and Pacific Islanders Presidential Town Hall in Las Vegas and learn how you and your affiliate can host voter protection trainings and monitor elections.

1)      2016 Presidential Town Hall | Aug. 12 | Las Vegas

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and the Asian American Journalists Association are co-hosting the 2016 Presidential Town Hall, which NAPABA is joining as a National Partner.

  • Since 2008, the Town Hall has served as a non-partisan forum for Asian Pacific  Americans to discuss issues relevant to our communities and ensure that our concerns are addressed and by campaigns and the media. By giving presidential candidates a forum to directly address AAPI community members, leaders, and organizers, the Town Hall has become one of the few spaces that allows candidates to speak directly to AAPIs, about AAPIs.
  • Reserve your seat, book a room, and learn more HERE.

2)      NAPABA Voter Protection Training (CLE) | Aug. 13 | Las Vegas

As part of the 2016 Presidential Town Hall community programming, NAPABA will be offering a CLE about non-partisan voter protection and poll monitoring. Participants will learn from experts from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA  about how to monitor elections for compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act, including ensuring language access, and how to prepare other attorneys to engage in voter protection work. The CLE is free and open to the public.

  • When: Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016 | 2-5 p.m. PDT
  • Registration information coming soon.

3)      Host a Voter Protection Training

Teach your members how to protect the rights of voters, including individuals who are limited English proficient, on election day. NAPABA affiliates interested in hosting voter protection trainings in their communities may apply for Affiliate Grant programs to help cover costs associated with the trainings. Partner with advocacy organizations such as AALDEF and Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliates (AAJC, ALC, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles) to help provide technical assistance to voters.

  • Apply for an Affiliate Grant and learn about partner organizations HERE.
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Press Release: Coalition Calls on Inspector General to Investigate Possible Profiling of Asian American Scientists

WASHINGTON — The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice were joined by 77 Asian Pacific American, civil rights and civil liberties organizations in sending a letter today to the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz seeking an independent investigation into what appears to be a trend of Asian American scientists being arrested and indicted for espionage-related crimes, only to later have all charges dropped, without explanation.

60 Minutes recently highlighted the cases of Temple University Physics Department Chair Dr. Xiaoxing Xi and National Weather Service Hydrologist Sherry Chen, bringing these cases renewed national attention.

Last November, NCAPA and NAPABA led a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch urging her to lead a Department of Justice investigation. Forty-two members of Congress also requested a full investigation, followed by aCongressional Asian Pacific American Caucus letter to Inspector General Horowitz last month.

In April 2016, the Department of Justice issued new rules to provide greater oversight, consultation, and coordination for all national security related cases. While these are welcome improvements, they leave unanswered critical questions about what happened in the cases of Dr. Xi and Ms. Chen and whether profiling played any role.

“Members of Congress as well as the civil rights and legal communities continue to be concerned that individuals appear to have been targeted for investigations based on their perceived race, ethnicity, or national origin,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “As we have seen in the cases of Dr. Xiaoxing Xi and Ms. Sherry Chen, these investigations upend lives and have lasting impacts even after charges are dropped. We continue to urge the Department of Justice to conduct thorough and independent investigations to assure the American public that the protections afforded by the Constitution and enshrined in Department policy prohibiting profiling are being followed in the interest of preserving a fair and unbiased legal system.”

“OCA is concerned with the apparent practice of racial profiling in national espionage cases. Both Sherry Chen and Professor Xi’s cases highlight the very human costs of charges brought to court with insufficient evidence,” said OCA Chief Executive Officer Ken Lee. “The treatment that both of them endured must never happen again. That is why we, along with our partners at NCAPA, NAPABA, and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice network, sent a letter to the Inspector General’s office. We remain committed to ensuring that there is an independent investigation of the Department of Justice by the Inspector General’s office to determine whether or not race, ethnicity, and national origin is a determining factor in all national espionage cases, particularly in the cases against Asian Americans. To allow our nation’s headquarters for legal justice to use such underhanded tactics to persecute individuals would be a mockery of the advances our country has made in civil rights and equal and equitable treatment for all Americans.”

“Dr. Xi and Ms. Chen have already suffered enough professionally and psychologically. They deserve answers–and so do the American people,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “We are deeply concerned by even the appearance of anyone being targeted because of their race, ethnicity or national origin, and we must prevent any practice of profiling from happening again. The Department of Justice must preserve our fundamental values of fairness and due process and protect our civil rights and civil liberties.”

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.

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Press Release: NAPABA Disappointed in Outcome of Immigration Case Heard by the U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is disappointed by the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision announced today in United States v. Texas. The court did not reach a decision in a challenge to the President’s executive action on immigration, including the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The split outcome leaves in place the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision to block implementation of the programs.

“We are disappointed in the decision of the Supreme Court to not make a clear statement on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to enjoin the implementation of these important immigration policies. The outcome leaves over four million undocumented immigrants living in the shadow of deportation,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “Today’s result underscores the importance of Congress taking swift action to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

The lower court in this case temporarily blocked the implementation of the expanded DACA and DAPA programs, which affected an estimated 4.9 million undocumented and vulnerable immigrants, including approximately 1.3 million Asian Pacific Americans. Under these programs, eligible applicants would not be a priority for deportation and could apply for a temporary work authorization. The original DACA program remains unaffected and more than 100,000 Asian Pacific Americans remain eligible for that program.

NAPABA, along with a diverse coalition of 325 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups, including the National Immigration Law Center, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in this case to urge the Court to lift the injunction that has blocked the President’s executive action on immigration from moving forward. View the brief here.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.

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Press Release: NAPABA and Partners Applaud Ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and its partner organizations applaud the Supreme Court’s ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, which reaffirms the principle that diversity in higher education is a compelling interest. In light of this decision, colleges and universities may continue to develop effective admissions policies that include race as a factor as part of a holistic review to create diversity and opportunity in the applicant pool.

“Today the Supreme Court affirmed the important role race-conscious admissions policies have in ensuring diversity in our nation’s colleges and universities,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “As lawyers of color, we see the beneficial impacts of these policies every day in the legal workforce and we recognize that diversity in higher education is critical to ensuring we have a pipeline of talented lawyers and judges able to serve their communities. We are encouraged that the Court continued to recognize these benefits for our country and allow colleges and universities to continue to ensure diversity and inclusion on campuses.”

The Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (CBAC) — NAPABA, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the National Bar Association (NBA), and the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA) — issued a joint statement supporting the ruling, which can be read here.

CBAC member bar associations jointly filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in Fisher that recognized the importance of race-conscious admissions policies to communities of color and the important role they play in ensuring diversity in the legal profession. The brief is available here.

NAPABA joined national Asian Pacific American community organizations — Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) — to support the University’s holistic review process. The organizations issued a joint statement applauding the result and can be read here.

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