NAPABA Applauds the Nomination of Judge Loren L. AliKhan and Susan K. DeClercq to the U.S. District Court 


For Immediate Release:
 
Date: May 3, 2023 
ContactPriya Purandare, Executive Director

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden nominated Judge Loren L. AliKhan to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Susan K. DeClercq to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. If confirmed, Judge AliKhan would be the first South Asian woman to serve on U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the only active AAPI woman judge on that court. Ms. DeClercq would be the first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan.

“NAPABA congratulates Judge AliKhan and Susan DeClercq on their nominations,” said Sandra Leung, president of NAPABA. “Judge AliKhan is a highly respected jurist with exceptional service to the citizens of Washington DC. Ms. DeClercq is an experienced prosecutor with experience in both private practice and corporate law. We applaud President Biden for nominating this slate of highly qualified AAPI nominees. We urge the Senate to confirm them swiftly.”

President Biden nominated Judge AliKhan to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on September 21, 2021, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her with bi-partisan support on February 22, 2022. Upon her confirmation, Judge AliKhan was the first AAPI judge to sit on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Before her confirmation, she served as the Solicitor General of the District of Columbia, where she directed the District’s appellate litigation and has overseen more than 1,800 appeals before the D.C. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge AliKhan has the support of NAPABA’s affiliate, the  Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington DC Region. She has been recognized with the Public Sector Trailblazer Award by the South Asian Bar Association of Washington D.C. and previously clerked for the Hon. Thomas L. Ambro on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Hon. Louis Pollack on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. AliKhan is a graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Susan K. DeClercq has been Director and Counsel of Special Investigations at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan since 2022. Ms. DeClercq previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division since March 2014. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in September 2004, Ms. DeClercq was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom in Washington, D.C., and she clerked for Judge Avern Cohn on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Ms. DeClercq received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Wayne State University School of Law in 1999 and her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1995.

NAPABA thanks Senators Stabenow and Peters of Michigan and Delegate Norton of Washington, D.C., for recommending and supporting these nominees.

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2017 NAPABA Convention Kicks Off in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Today, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) kicks off its 2017 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., from Nov. 2–5, 2017. More than 2,000 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law students, legal scholars, and elected officials from around the country—a new NAPABA Convention attendance record—will gather at the Marriott Marquis Washington DC. The Convention will feature over 50 panels and plenaries on a wide range of issues affecting the legal and Asian Pacific American communities.

Among the session highlights, the 2017 NAPABA Convention marks the 10th anniversary of NAPABA’s groundbreaking language access report, “Increasing Access to Justice for Limited English Proficient Asian Pacific Americans: A Report for Action.” The report identifies major challenges limited English proficient individuals, in particular members of the Asian Pacific American community, faced in courts and set out best practices for federal and state courts to follow. For its 10-year anniversary, NAPABA will launch the second edition of the report that provides up-to-date information. During the Convention session, panelists will explore the 2017 report’s key findings and recommendations, as well as assess the current state of access and identify areas of improvement and gaps that remain in the courts, administrative agencies, and other providers.

On Saturday, Nov. 4, the 29th Anniversary Gala will feature a keynote address by United States Solicitor General Noel Francisco. Mr. Francisco was recently sworn in as the 48th Solicitor General of the United States on Sept. 19, 2017. The evening also will include the official induction of 2017–18 NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi, and the NAPABA Board of Governors.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [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 over 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local 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, visitwww.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter(@NAPABA).

NAPABA Congratulates Noel Francisco on Confirmation to be Solicitor General of the United States

For Immediate Release
Sept. 19, 2017

For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
202-775-9555; [email protected]

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Noel Francisco to serve as the Solicitor General of the United States. Francisco is the first Asian Pacific American to be confirmed to the position.

“We congratulate Noel Francisco on his historic confirmation,” said Cyndie M. Chang, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) president. “Mr. Francisco’s confirmation is a testament to his experience and the esteem of his colleagues. It is inspiring to see the Senate confirm the first Asian Pacific American and Filipino American to serve as the nation’s Supreme Court lawyer.”

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Francisco clerked for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the late Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush and was Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice. In 2005, Francisco entered private practice, where he was the chair of the government regulations practice and where he argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2017, he was appointed Principal Deputy Solicitor General and Acting Solicitor General of the United States.

NAPABA supported Noel Francisco during his nomination. We thank President Trump for nominating him to the position.

After the confirmation of Justice Elena Kagan in 2010, Neal Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General under President Obama for the 2010-11 U.S. Supreme Court Term.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 50,000 attorneys and over 75 national, state, and local 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 engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.

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).

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