Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
The Criminal Justice Act Committee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is accepting applications for service on the Court’s Criminal Justice Act Panel. Criminal Justice Act Panel Members represent indigent criminal defendants and petitioners for habeas corpus.
The deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 2019.
To see the full announcement and learn more, click here.
For the application form, click here.
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.
How did the son of a garment factory seamstress and Chinese restaurant cook come to sit in chambers once occupied by Justice Thurgood Marshall?
The December edition of the NAPABA Inspirational Video Series showcases Judge Denny Chin and his path to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Chin leads you on a journey from his immigration to the U.S. from Hong Kong at the age of two to his first law school internship with the Southern District of New York where he realized—almost immediately—that he wanted to become a judge.
Be sure to discuss and share Judge Chin’s story on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag, #NAPABAInspirationalSeries.
About Judge Chin
Judge Denny Chin is a United States Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He was sworn in on April 26, 2010. He had previously served, from Sept. 13, 1994, through April 23, 2010, as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
In the District Court, Judge Chin presided over a number of important matters, including cases involving Megan’s Law, the Million Youth March, Al Franken’s use of the phrase “Fair and Balanced” in the title of a book, the Naked Cowboy, and the Google Books project. He also presided over two criminal trials arising out of the United Nations Oil for Food Program, as well as the trial of an Afghan warlord charged with conspiring to import heroin, and the guilty plea and sentencing of financier Bernard L. Madoff.
In the Circuit Court, Judge Chin has authored opinions or dissents in cases involving the enforceability of arbitration clauses in on-line agreements, the General Motors bankruptcy, environmental regulations governing the discharge of ballast water from ships, the constitutionality of the government’s seizure and retention of computer hard drives, barriers to access for voters with disabilities, and the streaming of copyrighted television broadcasts over the Internet.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2017
Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
NEW YORK — August 30, 2017. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) applaud the Honorable Sanket J. Bulsara on his historic appointment to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Asian Pacific Americans are significantly under-represented in the federal judiciary, including in New York. Upon his appointment, Judge Bulsara became the first South Asian American to serve as a judge within the Second Circuit.
Judge Bulsara was born in the Bronx but has been a resident and an active community member of Queens, where his parents first lived upon immigrating to the United States from India. He began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for the Honorable John G. Koeltl of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Bulsara then worked as an associate at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP in Los Angeles, California, before returning to New York in 2004, where he worked as a Manager of Planning and Data Analysis for the New York City Department of Education.
In 2005, Judge Bulsara joined the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP as an associate and was elevated to partner in 2012, becoming the first Asian Pacific American litigation partner in the firm’s New York office. At WilmerHale, he developed a trial-centered practice, while also developing the firm’s pro bono practice. His trial experience included a secondment from 2007 to 2008, when he worked as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, for which he received an Outstanding Service Award.
Prior to his appointment, he worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as the Acting General Counsel and the Deputy General Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Adjudication and Enforcement.
“AABANY congratulates Judge Bulsara on his appointment and commends the Eastern District of New York for not only appointing a highly qualified candidate to this important position but also recognizing a continuing commitment to a bench reflecting the diversity of the general population,” states AABANY President Dwight Yoo. “Judge Bulsara follows in the path blazed by Judge Go, Judge Kuo, Judge Matsumoto and Judge Chen in the EDNY and blazes his own trail by being the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit. We are proud to count Judge Bulsara among the most distinguished of our members and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role at the EDNY.”
“SABANY is proud to congratulate Judge Bulsara as he enters the judiciary,“ states SABANY President Mahesh Parlikad. "Judge Bulsara exemplifies what it means to be a public servant, and as the first South Asian judge in the Second Circuit, his appointment resonates with a growing South Asian population in New York and across the nation. He is a role model for SABANY members and beyond. We are excited by the significance of an increasingly diverse EDNY bench at this time, particularly when other federal judicial nominations are lacking in diversity, and we are eager to continue to work with Judge Bulsara to serve our communities.”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332-2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit is seeking attorneys for its pro bono panel. Attorneys seeking to learn more about this opportunity may refer to the March 1 announcement and the plan and application, which are available on U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit website.
For any inquiries, please contact:
John Perrie
Tel.: (212)857-8531
Email: [email protected]
2d Cir. Pro Bono Counsel Plan: Apply Now
The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel. The deadline is Friday, May 1, 2015. Please refer to the Court’s official announcement at http://bit.ly/2ndcprobonopnl The Plan for the Appointment of Pro Bono Counsel and the application form are available via the link above. We encourage all members and
friends of AABANY to apply for this important pro bono opportunity.