PRESS RELEASE – TASK FORCE ON THE JUDICIARY
PRBA TASK FORCE ON THE JUDICIARY
A CALL FOR ACTION
New York, New York – The Puerto Rican Bar Association has organized a Task Force on the Judiciary to examine the lack of representation of Puerto Ricans and Latinos on the bench. The PRBA Calls For Action to ensure that there is TRUE Diversity and Inclusion in the Judiciary and the Judicial Selection Process in New York State.
The Puerto Rican Bar Association – Task Force on the Judiciary – will examine, inspect and evaluate the lack of Puerto Ricans and Latinos on the bench in New York State. We are outraged that for the past two (2) years there have not been any candidates of Puerto Rican and/or Latino background that have come out of the Judicial Committees from the Manhattan, Kings, Queens and Staten Island. Puerto Ricans and Latinos are not fairly represented in the New York Judiciary despite the large population of Puerto Rican and Latino communities in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The PRBA will hold public hearings to address the underrepresentation of Puerto Ricans and Hispanics on the bench. Where necessary the PRBA will have monitors to review the process and request that the appropriate government agencies including the United States Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission review the disparity in the Judicial Selection process to determine if violations of Constitutional rights have resulted. The PRBA has fought difficult battles to ensure that there is diversity on the bench yet it appears that the need for “Diversity and Inclusion” is not being honored. The process needs to be examined and evaluated due to the disparate impact that has resulted.
The Puerto Rican Bar Association also joins with all of the organizations who expressed their profound outrage to the failure of the New York County Democratic Committee Independent Judicial Screening Panel to approve Judge Doris Ling-Cohan for the New York Supreme Court. Judge Ling-Cohan, the first Asian American Female Judge in New York and a longtime PRBA member. The Puerto Rican Bar Association was founded in 1957 and is one of the oldest minority bar associations in New York. We will continue to endeavor to ensure that Puerto Ricans, and all Latinos, are adequately represented in the legal profession so that the Puerto Rican and Latino Communities will continue to have a voice regarding New York State laws and policies.
Judith S. Kaye, First Woman to Serve as New York’s Chief Judge, Dies at 77
Judith S. Kaye, First Woman to Serve as New York’s Chief Judge, Dies at 77
AABANY is greatly saddened by the news of Judge Kaye’s passing. She will be remembered not only as a trailblazing jurist but also for her efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession and the judiciary. AABANY extends its condolences to Judge Kaye’s family. We will all miss her compassion, intellect and leadership.
E-Filing Training Available
FREE training sessions on the courts’ electronic filing system, NYSCEF, for July and August are open for registration at the E-Filing Resource Center. Some sessions are offered online. Through NYSCEF, documents to initiate a court case can be filed online, from anywhere, at any time, on any day even when the courts are closed. Lawyers and individuals who do not have legal representation (unrepresented litigants) can register for training.
Learn more about NYSCEF by listening to the Amici podcast on E-Filing.
KALAGNY Congratulates the Honorable Kathryn Paek
AABANY joins the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York in congratulating the Honorable Kathryn Paek on her historic appointment.
Here’s the announcement from KALAGNY:
The Honorable Kathryn Paek was appointed as a Judge of the New York City Criminal Court. She is the first Korean American woman judge in the New York State courts.
Judge Paek is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and appointed to the bench this year by the New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio. Prior to her appointment, she was the Chief of Staff for the Office of Policy and Planning for the New York State Court System. She was also a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society in the Criminal Defense Division and the Immigration Unit.
Congratulations, Judge Paek!
NYS Joint Commission on Public Ethics Seeks Recommendations for Qualified Candidates …
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics currently seeks recommendations for qualified candidates to serve as independent and impartial hearing officers to oversee the adjudication of Commission matters.
Hearing officers will preside over formal hearings, render decisions on certain appeals and consider questions of fact and of law in connection with administrative proceedings of and applications to the Commission. The hearing officers will be called on a case by case basis and compensated for their service.
Eligible candidates are requested to submit a resume, writing sample, and professional references to:
NYS Joint Commission on Public Ethics
25 Beaver Street
7th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Candidates must have been admitted at least 10 years, must be in good standing, and must be a current New York City resident or be willing to move to New York City in the event of a possible appointment.
Eligible candidates should download the Uniform Judicial Questionnaire from the Committee ’s website at www.nyc.gov/judiciary, and should contact the Committee’s Office to request waivers. Applications will remain active for one year from the date of the receipt by this office. Applications will be accepted on a continuing basis for appointment to future vacancies as they arise.
NYIC and NYS Dept of State Office of New Americans Present: Immigration Law Training in Buffalo
The New York Immigration Coalition in collaboration with The New York State Department of State Office for New Americans Presents Two-Day Immigration Law Training Schedule Free for all ONA groups and non-attorney staff of non-profit agencies.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 & Wednesday, September 3, 2014
All trainings will be held at the Catholic Charities Immigration & Refugee Assistance Program 20 Herkimer Street, Buffalo, NY 14213
Tuesday September 2, 2014
8:30AM – 10:20 AM: How to Obtain BIA Recognition for Your Agency and Become an Accredited Representative (No CLE)
Instructor: TBA
In this training, we will cover in detail the requirements for obtaining Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Recognition for your non-profit agency so that it may provide immigration legal services through Accredited Representatives. We also will cover the requirements for obtaining accreditation for individual non-attorney employees of recognized agencies.
10:30AM – 12:30PM Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – Initial and Renewal Applications (2 CLE*)
Instructor: Karen Andolina Scott, Esq., Managing Attorney of Journey’s End Refugee Services
This training will cover the basic eligibility requirements for initial and renewal applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as well as walk through filling out the Form I-821D, Form I-765, and Form I-765WS. The training will also discuss the potential documentation to include with a request packet.
01:30PM – 05:30PM Hot Topics in Immigration Law (4 CLE*)
Instructor: Jamie Maddalena of Fiegel Maddalena Law.
This training provides an overview of basic concepts in immigration law, including immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories, adjustment of status, consular processing, and citizenship. It will also address current trends in interpretation and processing of the most common types of applications. No prior knowledge of immigration law is required.
Wednesday September 3, 2014
08:30AM – 10:20AM: Naturalization and Citizenship (2 CLE*)
Instructor: TBA
This training will cover basic topics relating to naturalization and citizenship. Topics will include acquisition and derivation of citizenship, eligibility for naturalization, impediments and bars to naturalization, practice and procedure authorization and practical issues when dealing with foster-care caseworkers, Administration for Children’s Services, and family-court law guardians.
10:30AM – 12:30PM Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity (2 CLE*)
Instructor: Sophie Feal, Supervising Immigration Attorney of Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc.
This training will review the various immigration law issues faced by non-citizens who have been convicted or accused of criminal conduct. The training will cover the criminal bars and waivers for noncitizens seeking lawful permanent residence or other lawful status, criminal grounds of removal and waivers applicable to lawful permanent residents, and good moral character bars and deportation risks for lawful permanent residents with criminal records who are pursuing naturalization. It will also touch on detention issues and intake strategies.
03:30PM – 05:30PM USCIS Field Office Visit (No CLE)
To register, click here.
