On December 14, 2018, AABANY member Judge Pamela K. Chen, of the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York, made news with her decision in Maloney v. Singas. Judge Chen held that a 44 year old New York state law banning nunchucks is unconstitutional. In her ruling, Judge Chen stated that the ban violated both the Second Amendment and State Constitutional right to bear arms.
Judge Chen noted, “The centuries-old history of nunchaku being used as defensive weapons strongly suggests their possession, like the possession of firearms, is at the core of the Second Amendment.”
WASHINGTON — Today, President Trump nominated Jill A. Otake to the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. If confirmed, Otake will be the 21st active Asian Pacific American federal district judge and the third active Asian Pacific American judge serving in the District of Hawaii. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds this decision.
“Jill Otake is a well-qualified and dedicated public servant who will ably serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii,” said Pankit J. Doshi, president of NAPABA. “She is recognized for her skill as a prosecutor and as a longtime leader in the legal community. I urge the Senate to confirm her to the bench.”
Otake is the acting chief of the Special Crime Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, having previously served as deputy chief since 2014. She spent nine years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Prior to that she was a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County, Washington. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her stellar work in the legal system, including awards and accolades by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Justice.
She is a leader in her community, both in Hawaii and Washington. Otake is co-chair of the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee and was a fellow of the bar’s Leadership Institute. Otake has served as co-president of the Asian American Bar Association of Washington — a NAPABA affiliate, as the judicial evaluations chair, and on the board of directors and chair of the Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations Committee in Washington. In addition to her service to the Asian Pacific American community, Otake has contributed to the advancement of women in the legal field and her community as a mentor for Hawaii Women Lawyers and volunteer attorney for Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii.
Otake serves as an instructor on issues related to trial practice. She was an instructor for the inaugural Hawaii Federal Trial Academy, sponsored by the U.S. District Court and the Federal Bar Association. She was an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the Seattle University Law School and a speaker during the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Mandatory Bar Professionalism Course.
A graduate of the Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii, she received her degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Washington School of Law. She clerked for the Honorable Associate Justice Simeon R. Acoba, Jr., of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
NAPABA thanks President Trump for nominating Jill A. Otake to the bench and Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz for recommending her to the White House. NAPABA recommended Otake earlier this year.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [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 almost 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American 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.
The Criminal Justice Act Committee of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is soliciting applications from experienced criminal defense attorneys for membership on the CJA Panel for the District. Applications are being accepted now for a three year period beginning January 1, 2018.
Anyone interested in being considered for the Panel should submit an application by October 31, 2017. Applications are available online at the Court’s website: https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/forms/cja-panel-application-form or at the Brooklyn and Central Islip courthouses.
WASHINGTON — Today, President Trump nominated Judge Karen Gren Scholer to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. If confirmed, Scholer will be the first Asian Pacific American to serve as a federal district court judge in Texas or any of the courts encompassed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — which includes Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
“Judge Karen Gren Scholer has had a distinguished legal career and will serve admirably on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas,” said Cyndie M. Chang, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “She is an accomplished judge, lawyer, and community leader with a record of bipartisan support, and we urge the Senate to quickly confirm Judge Scholer to the bench.”
Judge Scholer is currently a partner at Carter Scholer Arnett Hamada Mockler PLLC, in Dallas, Texas. She is an experienced litigator and former judge who has presided over 100 trials. Her judicial experience includes eight years as a state district judge on the 95th Judicial District Court, Dallas County, Texas. She has also served as the presiding judge for Dallas County Civil District Court Judges. Judge Scholer has been a partner at a number of firms in Dallas, including Jones Day, Andrews & Kurth LLP, and Strasburger & Price LLP. Active in her community, Judge Scholer has served in leadership positions in the Dallas Bar Association and Asian Pacific American community organizations. The State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, and Superlawyers have all recognized Judge Scholer for her legal excellence and achievement.
In March 2016, Judge Scholer was nominated by President Obama to serve as a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, with the support of Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
NAPABA commends President Trump for nominating Judge Karen Gren Scholer to the bench and thank Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas for recommending Judge Scholer to the White House.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 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.
WASHINGTON — Today, President Obama nominated Abid R. Qureshi to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If confirmed, Qureshi will be the first Pakistani American and Muslim American to serve as an Article III federal judge. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds his nomination and encourages the Senate to swiftly confirm him to the bench.
“Abid Qureshi is an experienced litigator with extensive commercial and pro bono experience who has the temperament and qualifications to ably serve as a judge for the District Court for the District Columbia,” said Jin Y. Hwang, president of NAPABA. “I urge the Senate to quickly confirm Mr. Qureshi to the District Court.”
Qureshi is a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he chairs the Global Pro Bono Committee. He is the former co-chair of the firm’s Washington, D.C., Litigation Department where he managed the largest litigation department in the firm. He is a complex commercial litigator with a focus on False Claims Act, federal securities, health care fraud, and white collar criminal matters. He also handles complex internal corporate investigations.
Qureshi has been recognized by Super Lawyers and the National Law Journal for his excellence in the profession. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School.
NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Abid R. Qureshi to the bench. NAPABA thanks Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton for recommending Qureshi to the White House.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 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 almost 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American 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.
U.S. District Court Judge Lorna G. Schofield, New York City In a four-minute, first-person video, U.S. District Court Judge Lorna G. Schofield, New York City, tells her story of growing up the daughter of a Filipina war bride living in the Midwest. She worked hard to meet the high standards of excellence set by her mother. As a child, she had to adapt to long stays with other families when her mother was frequently hospitalized for treatment of a chronic illness. As a teen, she shouldered adult responsibilities. Judge Schofield’s message to young people: “You have to have faith in yourself that you can make a life that you want.”
Judge Schofield’s video is part of a series called Pathways to the Bench, produced by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. In the videos, judges talk about the personal, character-building challenges in their lives that prepared them to serve on the bench. Each judge has a motivational message for young people that adults find inspiring, as well.
Judge Schofield made history as the first Filipina American Article III judge in the United States.
The Pathways to the Bench series also created a video about the Hon. Denny Chin, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which is available from our blog here.
Thanks to Rebecca Fanning, National Outreach Manager for the Federal Courts, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, for sharing this video with us.
WASHINGTON
— Today, President Obama nominated Judge Karen Gren Scholer to the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. If confirmed, Scholer
will be the first Asian Pacific American to serve as a federal district
court judge in Texas or any of the courts encompassed by the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit — which encompasses Texas, Louisiana,
and Mississippi.
“Judge
Karen Gren Scholer has had a distinguished legal career and will serve
admirably on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas,”
said Jin Y. Hwang, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar
Association (NAPABA). “I urge the Senate to ensure a speedy
confirmation for Ms. Scholer.”
Scholer
is currently a partner at Carter Scholer Arnett Hamada Mockler PLLC, in
Dallas, Texas. She is an experienced litigator and former judge who has
presided over 100 trials. Her judicial experience includes eight years
as a state district judge on the 95th Judicial District Court, Dallas
County, Texas. She has also served as the presiding judge for Dallas
County Civil District Court Judges and, on one occasion, as a Justice on
the Tenth Court of Appeals by appointment of Governor Rick Perry.
Scholer
has been a partner at a number of firms in Dallas, including Jones Day,
Andrews & Kurth LLP, and Strasburger & Price LLP. Active in her
community, Scholer has served as co-chair of Attorneys Serving the
Community and in leadership positions in the Dallas Bar Association and
Asian Pacific American community organizations. She is a speaker on
trial practice and was a visiting faculty member at the Notre Dame Law
School. The State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas at Austin, and
Superlawyers have all recognized Scholer for her legal excellence and
achievement. Scholer graduated from Rice University and the Cornell
University School of Law.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2015 Shared By: Linda Lin, Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee
PUBLIC NOTICE: FEDERAL MAGISTRATE JUDGE VACANCY
There is one (1) full-time United States Magistrate Judge position vacancy at the Brooklyn
Courthouse of the Eastern District of New York located at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY
11201 effective October 1, 2015.
The duties of the position are demanding and wide-ranging, and will
include:
conduct of preliminary proceedings in criminal cases;
trial and disposition of
misdemeanor cases;
conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation
from the judges of the district court;
trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants;
and
assignment of additional duties not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the United
States.
The basic jurisdiction of a United States Magistrate Judge is specified in 28 U.S.C., section 636.
To be qualified for appointment, an applicant must:
be a member in good standing of the bar of the
highest court of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin
Islands for at least five years;
have been engaged in the active practice of law for a period of at least
five years (with some substitutions authorized);
be competent to perform all the duties of the office,
of good moral character, emotionally stable and mature, committed to equal justice under the law, in
good health, patient and courteous, and capable of deliberation and decisiveness;
be less than 70
years old; and
not be related to a judge of the district court. An applicant should have federal court
experience and be knowledgeable in federal civil and criminal practices and procedures.
A Merit Selection Panel composed of attorneys and other residents of the district will review all
applications and recommend in confidence to the judges of the district court the five persons whom it
considers best qualified. The Court will make the appointment following an FBI and IRS investigation
of the appointees. An affirmative effort will be made to give due consideration to all qualified
candidates, including women and members of minority groups. The salary of each position is now
$185,012 per annum. The term of office is eight years.
Please note that the application form can be accessed on-line at the district’s website: www.nyed.uscourts.gov. Application forms also may be obtained from the Clerk of Court at 225
Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York 11201, (718) 613-2270. Applications must be personally
prepared by potential nominees and must be received no later than SEPTEMBER 11, 2015. An email
with a copy in Word or PDF sent to [email protected] and eight (8) paper
copies of the completed application must be mailed or delivered to the office of the Clerk of Court at the
above address.
