The Asian American Bar Association of New York together with the New York City Bar Association ADR Committee and the New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section and partner bar associations are committed to increasing the selection of ADR professionals from historically underrepresented communities. To promote this goal, the partnering bar associations have created the New York Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Neutral Directory (“NY DEI Neutral Directory).
The directory is a list of ADR professionals who self-identify as a member of a historically underrepresented community including but not limited to: a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as having a disability, or identify as a woman. Individuals seeking ADR professionals can search the directory alphabetically, by practice area, by language ability, and by other self-identifying characteristics. Individuals who wish to be included in the directory must be members of one of the partnering bar associations, and have filled out the Directory Questionnaire which is available here: https://bit.ly/3d1Nn3q Inclusion in this directory does not imply endorsement or recommendation by any organization
Directory Partners include the following bar associations: The Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association, Asian American Bar Association of New York, The Bar Association of Erie County, The Brehon Law Society, Caribbean Attorney Network, Dominican Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, New York Chapter, LGBT Bar Association of New York, Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, The Network of Bar Leaders, New York County Lawyers Association, Rochester Black Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of New York, Puerto Rican Bar Association, Westchester Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.
As Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) jurists in the New York State court system we celebrated AAPI Heritage month in May for the first time in our Courts by participating in panels, co-hosting events, and acknowledging the many jurists that blazed the trail for us. We also recognized the work that remains for the Courts to be inclusive of the AAPI experience.
Our fairly young history in the New York State Judiciary began only 38 years ago with the appointment of the Hon. Randall Eng to the New York City Criminal Court bench in 1983. It continued with the historic elections of the Hon. Peter Tom and the Hon. Dorothy Chin Brandt to the New York County Civil Court in 1987. Judges Eng and Tom were the first Asian Americans appointed to the Appellate Division and even served simultaneously as Presiding Justice and Acting Presiding Justice in 2016. Equally historic was the election of the Hon. Anil Singh in 2002, the first elected South Asian judge, and his subsequent appointment to the Appellate Division in 2017. The Hon. Raja Rajeswari became the first South Asian judge appointed in New York in 2015.
While we are proud to celebrate our “firsts,” many of us remain the “only,” and the AAPI community remains underrepresented in the judiciary. Secretary Jeh Johnson highlighted this fact in his October 1, 2020 report on equal justice in the New York State Courts, where he noted that AAPIs comprise 8.5% of New Yorkers and only 2.6% of the judiciary. Currently, there are only 39 AAPI judges in all of New York State, and that is out of 1,227 jurists. Secretary Johnson also reported that in New York City, AAPI people comprise 14.1% of the population and only 6.3% of the judiciary, and that the AAPI community remains underrepresented among judges chosen by election. 37 of the 39 AAPI judges preside in New York City, and there are only two elected AAPI judges north of New York City. There has never been an AAPI judge elected in Brooklyn, Staten Island or the Bronx. Only two out of the 86 Court of Claims judges are AAPI, and there are no South Asian jurists. No AAPI jurists currently sit on our intermediate appellate courts in the Second, Third, and Fourth Departments. No AAPI has ever been appointed to the Court of Appeals.
Of the 63 supervisory or administrative judicial positions in New York State, there are only two AAPI jurists. None of the 12 Administrative Judges in New York City, 10 Administrative Judges outside New York City and 21 Supervising Judges outside of New York City are AAPI jurists. These statistics show that Asian American and Pacific Islanders lack a full voice in the administration of justice in New York State.
We call upon public officials, the Office of Court Administration, bar associations and judicial screening committees to place a greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion that recognizes and includes the AAPI community across all levels of the New York State Courts. We also call upon our own AAPI community to be more proactive in all of the different stages of the judicial appointment and electoral processes so that we can ensure that there is a multitude of qualified candidates available for consideration. We hope to look back in the near future at the progress we expect to achieve.
On May 20, the Historical Society of the New York Courts, the Asian American Judges Association of New York, and Meyer Suozzi English & Klein P.C. co-sponsored a panel discussion on the role of Asian Americans in the federal and state judiciary. The panelists of the event were Hon. Pamela K. Chen, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York and AABANY member; Hon. Toko Serita, New York State Acting Supreme Court Justice, Presiding Judge of the Queens Human Trafficking Intervention Court, and AABANY member; and Hon. Anil C. Singh, Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department. Hon. Lillian Wan, New York State Acting Supreme Court Justice and AABANY member, moderated the panel.
New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore opened the event with a few remarks, thanking the panelists and acknowledging their trailblazing careers as Asian-Americans. Chief Judge DiFiore also emphasized the importance of remembering AAPI history and the United States’ legacy of racial exclusion against Asians. She then turned the program over to Judge Randall T. Eng. Judge Eng, Of Counsel at Meyer Suozzi and former Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, welcomed the attendees and shared his experiences as the first Asian American appointed to the bench in New York.
Judge Wan then introduced the panelists for the event, opening the discussion with a brief presentation on AAPI history from Hong Yen Chang and the Chinese Exclusion Act to the present day. After the presentation, each of the panelists introduced themselves and shared their backgrounds and paths to becoming judges. Judge Wan began the panel discussion, asking the panelists about their experiences as Asian Americans at the times of their confirmations. Many of the panelists recounted how there were very few, if not any, Asian American judges when they were appointed. Judge Chen recalled how her appointment was facilitated by Obama’s attempts to diversify the federal bench, while Judge Serita recounted her experiences as the first Japanese American appointed to her court.
Judge Wan moved on to the reasons behind the underrepresentation of AAPIs in the state and federal judiciary. All of the panelists cited lack of political engagement, the lack of a pipeline, and the general tendency of Asian lawyers to seek employment at corporate law firms. Judge Chen also brought up cultural barriers, touching on how Asians tend not to promote themselves and do not seek help even when needed.
Judge Wan shifted the topic to Asian stereotypes and its effects on day-to-day legal practice. The judges all expressed how Asians are frequently lumped together, being viewed as a monolithic group. Judge Serita pointed out that the term “Asian” itself perpetuates invisibility, as it smothers the diverse experiences that individuals of different Asian cultures experience. Judge Chen also mentioned how women of color tend to face more microaggressions than men of color.
Judge Wan then asked the panelists if they had experienced any incidents of anti-Asian assault during the COVID pandemic. Judge Serita shared that during the height of the pandemic, she would wear a hat and sunglasses on the subway in order to hide her Asian identity. She also mentioned how women make up 70% of bias incident victims due to being stereotyped as meek and docile. Judge Serita also emphasized the importance of continuing the conversations about Asians and race in light of the rise in anti-Asian incidents. Judge Chen also shared a story, where an Asian female jury member had to be excused from jury duty because she feared being assaulted on the subway commute to the courthouse.
Judge Wan then directed the conversation towards the role of diversity in the judiciary. All the judges emphasized the importance of having a judiciary that reflects the diversity of the people it serves. Judge Chen also cited Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion in the Schuette v. Coalition case, pointing out how race does matter in the judiciary due to the long history of minorities being excluded in the United States.
Judge Wan then asked the panelists their thoughts on building a pipeline for Asians to enter the judiciary. All the judges expressed how important it was to reach out to the community to inspire young people to consider a public service career. Judge Chen identified a number of internships and programs for students aspiring to become judges while also noting how increasing Asian political representation in federal and state positions would afford aspiring AAPI lawyers the support needed to get through the confirmation process. Judge Chen also mentioned the role of bar associations like AABANY and the South Asian Bar Association of New York in sponsoring candidates for the bench. Judge Serita finished by encouraging young lawyers to be more proactive and to overcome Asian cultural humility.
Judge Wan moved to the topic of judicial screening panels, asking the judges their thoughts on the role of diversity on the panels. All the judges agreed on the vital role of diversity on screening panels. Judge Serita recounted one instance where an Asian woman being reviewed by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys was given a low qualification score, due, in part, to the fact that only one out of the 30 committee members was Asian.
To close the panel, Judge Wan asked the judges if they had any advice to give to young attorneys aspiring to the bench. Judge Chen and Judge Serita both encouraged the attendees to enjoy their work, be passionate about it, but also, to not plan their careers rigidly around becoming a judge. All the judges also expressed the importance of flexibility and of keeping options open.
At the end of the event, Judge Eng shared photographs and a newspaper clipping documenting his long and distinguished career in the judiciary. Judge Wan then thanked the panelists for their time and the attendees for coming to the event.
The New York City Bar Association ADR Committee and New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section are committed to increasing the selection of ADR professionals from historically underrepresented communities. To promote this goal, the two groups are compiling a directory of association members who are ADR professionals and self-identify as a member of a historically underrepresented community including but not limited to: a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as having a disability, or identify as a woman.
The directory is being built in partnership with the following bar associations (list in formation): The Asian American Bar Association of New York, The Caribbean Attorney Network, The Dominican Bar Association, The Hispanic National Bar Association, NY Chapter, The Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association, The Metropolitan Black Bar Association, The Puerto Rican Bar Association, and The Women’s Bar Association.
If you are a City Bar member, AABANY member, or member of any of the partnering bar associations, and self-identify as a member of a historically underrepresented community and wish to be included in the directory, please fill out the following survey on or before July 23, 2021.
If you have any questions regarding this initiative or if you are a bar association leader and wish to participate in this initiative, you may contact Robyn Weinstein at [email protected] or Catherine Carl at [email protected].
On June 17, 2021, Judiciary Committee Co-Chair William Wang (and former AABANY President, 2015) was quoted in a Democrat and Chronicle article titled “New York’s judges aren’t as diverse as the state is. Here’s why that matters.” A report commissioned by Chief Judge Di Fiore in June 2020, which was released in October 2020, found that communities of color were underrepresented in New York State’s judiciary. Out of the 78% of state-paid judges who responded, only 14% identified as Black, 9% said they were Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 3% said they were Asian American. Sixty-nine percent of judges indicated they were white. In contrast, New York State’s population is 18% Black, 20% Hispanic or Latino, and 9% Asian. Citing the recent rise in hate crimes committed against the Asian American community, Wang argues that increased representation of Asian Americans in the judiciary will help members of the community feel more confident that they can attain justice when they are the victims of such violence. Wang states, “It’s very important for communities of color to be able to go into the court system, a system where they are trying to get and obtain justice and to see someone that potentially can look like them.”
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