Tag: new jersey

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OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates’ Youth and College Track workshops on Thursday, July 21st and Friday, July 22nd at 2016 National Convention in Jersey City, NJ

Dear Friends,

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates invites you to attend our Youth and College Track workshops on Thursday, July 21st and Friday, July 22nd at our 2016 National Convention in Jersey City, NJ. The free registration provides admission to all workshops, including free breakfast and lunch! Come join us to learn more about APA history, issues affecting the APA community, and what it means to be an advocate.

Students who attend on behalf of their student group will earn $20 per student who RSVPs and attends Convention (a minimum of 5 students must attend in order to get reimbursed).

Highlights from our Youth Track include:

Getting out of Your Comfort Zone – Participate in activities that will lead students to confidently step out of their own self-created boundaries.

Maximizing Your Time in High School – High school provides many opportunities to begin deepening your involvement in extracurricular activities and developing leadership skills, and this workshop will provide students with the tools to make the most of their time there.

High School to College Transition 101 – Whether it’s finding the money to pay for school or choosing the right college or major, this workshop will provide you the knowledge and resources to help ensure your transition is as smooth as possible.

College Success: What to Do When You Get There – This workshop will help students gain a better understanding of what to expect and how to set yourself up for success within your first year.

And highlights from our College Track include:

Joint MFHA Showcase of the Stars – Discover the multitude of APA career opportunities in the food and hospitality industry from industry professionals of diverse backgrounds.

APA History 101 – Dive into a discussion on APA history through a hands-on APA historic timeline activity. Explore the issues that affect us and what to do about them.

Ballin’ on a Budget – Don’t let financial pitfalls get in the way of your success! Learn to navigate around budget obstacles with our hands-on activity, and pay close attention – the most financially savvy team wins gift card prizes of up to $50!

Power and Privilege: Understanding a New Way Forward – Participate in an activity illustrating how power and privilege disparities shape our world, and gain the tools to combat it as you embark on your professional journey.

For more information regarding the convention, click here. To register for free, or to read more about the Youth and College Tracks, please see the attached flyers or visit the registration page bit.ly/OCAYTRACK for Youth Track and bit.ly/OCACollege16 for College Track. If you have any questions, please contact our Program Associate Monica Lee at [email protected] or 202.223.5500 ext. 114.

Thank you for your time, we hope you can join us!

Niles Wilson

Program Intern

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates

National Center

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APALA-NJ Applauds Governor Christie’s Nomination of New Jersey Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman to Serve as a New Jersey Supreme Court Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2016
CONTACT: Theodore K. Cheng, Esq., [email protected]

NEWARK – On February 29, 2016, Governor Chris Christie nominated New Jersey Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman to a seat on New Jersey’s highest court. If confirmed, Judge Bauman, who is Japanese-American, would be the first Supreme Court Justice of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent in the history of New Jersey.

“This is an incredibly proud moment for the APA community. APALA-NJ commends Governor Christie for again nominating Judge Bauman, who is unquestionably an exceptional candidate and highly qualified to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court. We proudly support Judge Bauman’s nomination and know that he will be a prestigious addition to the State’s highest court,” said Theodore K. Cheng, President of APALA-NJ.

Judge Bauman was nominated to the New Jersey Superior Court by Governor Jon Corzine, unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and thereafter confirmed by the full Senate in 2008. He was named Presiding Judge of the Civil Division in Monmouth County in 2009 and received tenure last year. He currently serves in the Criminal Division. Last October, the New Jersey State Bar Association honored Judge Bauman with its annual Minority Judge’s Award, which is given “to an outstanding diverse jurist and exemplary lawyers who have demonstrated through personal and professional achievement the ideals espoused” in the State Bar Diversity Committee’s overall mission and objectives.

Prior to taking the judicial oath in July 2008, Judge Bauman was a partner at Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C., specializing in general litigation with a focus on complex civil and criminal matters. From 1988 through 1991, he served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, working as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and lead trial attorney for high profile criminal matters. He held positions in the Marine Corps Reserve, such as staff judge advocate, company commander and appellate government counsel. His service awards include the Navy Commendation Medal, Letter of Commendation, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, and Certificate of Commendation, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines. In December 2012, Governor Christie nominated Judge Bauman to fill one of two then vacant seats on the New Jersey Supreme Court. However, the Senate never afforded Judge Bauman a confirmation hearing, and the nomination subsequently expired.

“For six years, a seat on New Jersey’s highest court has remained vacant. Unified action from our elected officials is long overdue. Judge Bauman deserves a speedy and fair hearing. This time around, we are hopeful that the Executive and the Legislature will overcome the politicization of the judicial nomination process, and we can move forward with efforts to diversify the State’s Judiciary,” said Jhanice V. Domingo, Immediate Past President of APALA-NJ and Chair of APALA-NJ’s Judicial & Prosecutorial Appointments Committee.

According to the 2010 Census, APAs represent over 8.3 percent of New Jersey’s population. New Jersey is among the top five U.S. states with the largest APA population. Between 2000 and 2010, the APA population more than doubled in 110 New Jersey municipalities and every county in New Jersey experienced double-digit growth of its APA population. APAs were also the fastest growing minority group during the past decade nationwide.

Notwithstanding, APAs remain underrepresented in the State Judiciary. There are only four judges of APA descent out of approximately 360 Superior Court judges. Judge Bauman’s confirmation would advance diversity in a branch of government that does not today adequately reflect the entire constituency of New Jersey. Throughout the State’s history, there have only been two African-American and one Hispanic Justice, and not one APA has ever served on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Although there is still much work to be done to diversify the State Judiciary, Judge Bauman’s confirmation to the State’s highest court would be a step in the right direction. APALA-NJ will continue to work with its sister bar associations on the State and Federal level and leaders in the community to ameliorate the glaring underrepresentation of APAs in the judiciary.

The Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ) is New Jersey’s only pan-Asian bar association serving Asian Pacific American attorneys across the State. Founded in 1983, APALA-NJ continues to be a strong advocate for increased diversity in the Federal and State judiciaries. To learn more about APALA-NJ, visit www.apalanj.org.

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Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program (JMB JIP) Applications Now Being Accepted

The Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program (JMB JIP) is now accepting applications until January 18, 2014.

The Association of  Judges of Hispanic Heritage (“AJHH”), the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”), the Asian American Law Fund of New York (“AALFNY”), the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (“MBBA”), the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation, the Puerto Rican Bar Association (“PRBA”), and the South Asian Bar Association of New York (“SABANY”) have partnered again for the JMB JIP to offer law students the opportunity to continue their legal education as summer judicial interns in New York and New Jersey metropolitan area courthouses. Judicial internships are exceptional learning opportunities that offer tremendous insight into the process of judicial decision-making.  They offer an opportunity to strengthen analytic and legal writing skills.

The brochure/application is attached here and is also available at www.jmbjip.org

Please direct any questions to the program’s co-directors at [email protected].

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AALDEF: Asian American Voters Not Tied to Political Party in Key States

New Poll: Asian American Voters Not Tied to Political Party in Key States

November 14, 2013 – According to the results of an exit poll in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York, Asian American voters are open to candidates of both political parties in key states. The nonpartisan multilingual exit poll of 2,290 Asian American voters was conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) after the mayoral election in New York and the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia.

“Asian American voters in Virginia, many of whom are not enrolled in any political party, could be a decisive voting bloc in the 2014 midterm elections,” said AALDEF executive director Margaret Fung.

AALDEF released preliminary results of its exit poll conducted at 24 poll sites in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Of those surveyed in total, 62% were enrolled in the Democratic Party, 10% were enrolled in the Republican Party, and 26% were not enrolled in any party.

However, in the close race for governor in Virginia, 45% indicated that they were not affiliated with any party, 41% were affiliated with the Democratic Party, and 11% affiliated with the Republican Party.    

In New Jersey, a majority (54%) of Asian American voters favored Republican Chris Christie over Democrat Barbara Buono (42%).51% polled were enrolled as Democrats, 37% said they were not enrolled in any party, and 11% were enrolled as Republicans.

New York had the highest number of registered Democrat Asian American voters, with 70% were enrolled in the Democratic Party, 18% not enrolled in any party, and 9% enrolled in the Republican Party.

“There is tremendous political diversity within the Asian American community,” said Glenn D. Magpantay, Director of AALDEF’s Democracy Program. “Issues and candidates drive the Asian American vote, rather than party affiliation. For candidates concerned with the issues that matter most to our community, the Asian American vote is up for grabs.”

Contact:

Ujala Sehgal

212.966.5932 x.217

[email protected]

Read more at http://bit.ly/aaldef_extpll

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APALA-NJ Applauds Gov. Christie’s Nomination of New Jersey Sup. Ct. Judge David F. Bauman

On December 10, 2012, Governor Chris Christie nominated Judge David F. Bauman to a seat on New Jersey’s highest court. Judge Bauman would be the first Supreme Court Justice of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent in the history of New Jersey.

“This is a proud day for the APA community. APALA-NJ commends Governor Christie for nominating yet another highly qualified APA candidate to the State’s highest court,” said Paul K. Yoon, President of APALA-NJ.

Read the full press release here.