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NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Judge Edward S. Kiel and Judge Eumi K. Lee to the U.S. District Court


For Immediate Release: 
Date: March 21, 2024 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Edward S. Kiel to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and Judge Eumi K. Lee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

“We congratulate Judge Edward S. Kiel and Judge Eumi K. Lee on their confirmation to serve on the U.S. District Court,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “Judge Kiel is the first Korean American to serve in the district, a 2010 NAPABA Trailblazer awardee, and an active member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey. Judge Lee was the first Korean American to serve as president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, and she was a recipient of the 2011 NAPABA Best Under 40 Award. We are exceptionally proud of their commitment to the AANHPI community and are pleased to have supported their nominations.”

“Today, President Biden has appointed 34 AANHPI Article III judges that the U.S. Senate has confirmed. His record of 23 AANHPI Article III women judges confirmed is more than all Presidents combined,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA.

Judge Edward S. Kiel has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey since 2019. Previously, Judge Kiel was a partner at Cole Schotz, P.C., from 2001 to 2019. Before that, he was an associate at Cole Schotz from 1998 to 2001, at Beattie Padovano from 1994 to 1998, and at Jamieson Moore Peskin & Spicer from 1992 to 1994. Judge Kiel served as a law clerk for Presiding Criminal Judge Michael R. Imbriani of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County, from 1991 to 1992. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1991 and his B.A. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in 1988.

Judge Lee has served as a judge on the Superior Court of California in Alameda County since 2018. She was the first Korean American judge ever appointed to the court in Alameda County. Previously, Judge Lee was a Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and co-founded and co-directed the Hastings Institute for Criminal Justice. Earlier in her career, she was an associate at Keker & Van Nest LLP and Thelen, Reid & Priest LLP. Judge Lee clerked for Judge Warren J. Ferguson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Jerome Turner on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Pomona College.

NAPABA thanks New Jersey and California Senators for supporting their nominations.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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TRANSCRIPT: Majority Leader Schumer Remarks at Senate Judiciary Committee Introducing Sanket Bulsara, Nominee To Be District Judge For The Eastern District Of New York

For Immediate Release

Date: March 6, 2024

CONTACT:  Alex Nguyen (Schumer), [email protected]

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee, introducing Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara, nominated by President Biden to serve as District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank you Ranking Member Graham, my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee. As you know, I enjoyed serving my time on the committee, both for sixteen years in the House and sixteen years in the Senate on the Judiciary Committee

So, I’m honored to come before the committee today to introduce a truly remarkable nominee, Sanket Bulsara, who I was proud to recommend to President Biden to serve as a District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. That’s seven million people in that one district.

Judge Bulsara made history in 2017 as the first South Asian American judge to serve in any court within the Second Circuit when he was appointed the Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District.

New York’s South Asian population is one of the fastest growing in New York and in America, I think. We’re very proud to have more South Asians in the New York metropolitan area than anywhere else, and they’re great, hard-working, family-oriented, law-abiding, great people and we love them. I try to make the bench look more like New York and more like America, and this is one example of that.

Before I begin, I want to take a moment to recognize Judge Bulsara’s wife, Chrissy DeLorenzo, a professor at one of the great medical schools in New York, Stony Brook, and she is with us here this morning, as you can see.

Judge Bulsara is – I’ll forgive him – a Bronx boy, but Chrissy is from Brooklyn so he likes to say he married into Brooklyn.

I also understand that Judge’s Bulsara’s parents, Jay and Aruna, are watching the hearing live from Los Angeles.

And Judge Bulsara’s in-laws, Tom and Loretta, are also watching live from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I’m sure they’re proud too.

Judge Bulsara is the epitome of the American Dream: a proud son of hard-working immigrant parents from India and Kenya who taught him the value of public service at an early age. His father was an engineer for the City of New York for 33 years, who not only raised his son to be a good Yankees fan, but even worked on the renovations of the original Yankee stadium in 1974. Before the renovations, I often got the cheap seats where you sat behind a pole, but they didn’t have that in the new stadium. His mother went to community college at night to become a nurse working with patients in low-income communities.

So, Judge Bulsara’s parents dedicated their lives to public service. I know he’s proud to be following in their footsteps. These are the great American Dream stories. We hear them every day in New York and around the country. It makes us so proud and so optimistic about the future of our country, which I am.

Judge Bulsara has all the qualities of a first-rate jurist. His colleagues and peers have praised his “excellent judgment” and he has been described by those who know him well as brilliant, ethical, even-keeled, energetic, hard-working. Those are some of the words my judicial panel used when they met him.

His credentials are undeniable: he’s a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law, he clerked for Judge John Koeltl of the Southern District of New York. After years in private practice, he worked to protect investors and our community’s financial markets at the SEC, where he served as Acting General Counsel in 2017.

Judge Bulsara also has a broad range of pro-bono work, and has been recognized for his outstanding representation of victims of domestic violence. He’s also worked to defend the rights of the incarcerated and individuals on death row.

And, again, he made history in 2017 as the first South Asian American federal judge on any court in the Second Circuit when he was appointed the Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of New York, where he served honorably since. I’ve appointed great people to that bench.

In short, Mr. Chairman, our courts need more people like Sanket Bulsara.

The Democratic Majority has been very proud of confirming scores of highly qualified, diverse judges– nearly 180 judges in fact –to the federal bench. Thank you, Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Graham, and everyone else who has cooperated to help us reach that number.

These judges are reshaping the judiciary for the better, not only by making our courts look more like America, but by restoring trust and balance on the bench through their broad range of experience. I am confident that Judge Bulsara will serve with distinction. That’s why I’m proud to support his nomination.

I want to thank the Judge and his wife for being here. I want to thank the members of the committee once again and my colleagues on the committee for the opportunity to be here today. And I look forward to working with you to confirm more judges in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you.

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NAPABA Applauds the Nomination of Judge Dena M. Coggins

For Immediate Release: 
Date: February 8, 2024 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Dena M. Coggins to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

“NAPABA congratulates Judge Dena M. Coggins on her nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. With nearly a decade of judicial service, Judge Coggins is well qualified to serve on the bench. We urge the Senate to confirm her quickly,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. 

Judge Dena Michaela Coggins is the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, having served in that position since 2023 and as a Superior Court judge since 2021. Judge Coggins was previously an Administrative Law Judge with the State of California’s Office of Administrative Hearings, in the General Jurisdiction Division from 2018 to 2021 and the Special Education Division from 2015 to 2017. Between her positions as an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Coggins served as a supervising attorney and hearing officer at the State of California Victim Compensation Board from 2017 to 2018. From 2013 to 2015, she served as a Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary for the Governor of California. Prior to her state government service, Judge Coggins worked as an associate at Downey Brand L.L.P. from 2012 to 2013 and at Morrison & Foerster L.L.P. from 2007 to 2012. Judge Coggins received her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2006 and her B.S. from California State University, Sacramento in 2003.

“President Biden has nominated 39 AANHPIs to an Article III court, and 30 judges from our community have been confirmed,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “If President Biden’s nominees are confirmed, AANHPI Article III judges will reflect our representation in the U.S. population at 8%.” 

NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Judge Dena M. Coggins and Senators Padilla and Butler for supporting her nomination.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Lisa Wang to the U.S. Court of International Trade


For Immediate Release: 
Date: February 1, 2024 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Senate confirmed Lisa Wang to serve on the U.S. Court of International Trade. She is the second from the AANHPI community to serve on this Article III court.

“We congratulate Lisa Wang on her confirmation to serve on the U.S. Court of International Trade,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “She brings deep experience to the bench having worked in private practice and government service, including at the Department of Commerce and in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.”

The U.S. Court of International Trade, an Article III court, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising from U.S. customs and international trade laws. Appointments to the U.S. Court of International Trade are lifetime appointments.

“Today, President Biden has appointed 30 AANHPI Article III judges that the U.S. Senate has confirmed. We thank President Biden for nominating Ms. Wang and his continued efforts to extend his record-breaking benchmark of AANHPI judges,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA.

Lisa Wang served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance, and she was the U.S. Department of Commerce’s delegate on the Interagency Working Group for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. In that role, Assistant Secretary Wang supported the Administration’s whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AANHPI communities. 

Before her appointment at the Department of Commerce, she was a partner at Picard Kentz & Rowe LLP, where she focused on international trade law matters, including antidumping, countervailing duty litigation, and trade policy issues. Assistant Secretary Wang also served as Senior Attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance at the Department of Commerce, as Assistant General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and as Senior Import Administration Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where she was awarded Commerce’s Bronze Medal Award for Distinguished Performance. She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2006 and her B.S. from Cornell University.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Applauds the Nomination of Judge Sanket J. Bulsara to the U.S. District Court

For Immediate Release: 
Date: February 7, 2024 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Sanket J. Bulsara to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 

“NAPABA congratulates Judge Sanket J. Bulsara on his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He is an experienced jurist and has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on the court since 2017,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “A native New Yorker and active member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, Judge Bulsara, who was – at the time that he was appointed a U.S. Magistrate Judge – the first South Asian American to serve as a judge within the Second Circuit, is exceptionally well qualified.  We are proud to support his nomination.”

“The South Asian population is one of the fastest growing in New York City, representing four percent of the population,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “President Biden’s nomination and Senator Schumer and Gillibrand’s recommendation of Judge Bulsara recognize the importance of having a judiciary representative of the community.”

Judge Sanket J. Bulsara has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York since 2017. From January 2017 to May 2017, Judge Bulsara served as the Acting General Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he had been the Deputy General Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Adjudication, and Enforcement since 2015. Prior to that, Judge Bulsara worked at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr L.L.P. as an associate from 2005 to 2008, a counsel from 2009 to 2011, and a partner from 2012 to 2015. For six months between 2007 and 2008, he served as a Special Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office, and he worked as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson L.L.P. in Los Angeles, California from 2003 to 2004. Judge Bulsara served as a law clerk for Judge John G. Koeltl on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2002 to 2003. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 2002 and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1998.

NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Judge Bulsara and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for supporting his nomination.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Applauds the Nominations of Amir H. Ali, Judge Sunil R. Harjani, and Jasmine H. Yoon to the U.S. District Court

For Immediate Release: 
Date: January 10, 2024 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Amir H. Ali to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Sunil R. Harjani to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and Jasmine Yoon to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

“Amir H. Ali, Judge Sunil R. Harjani, and Jasmine H. Yoon are exceptionally well qualified to serve on our federal judiciary,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “Active in the AANHPI community, if confirmed, Ms. Yoon, a former board member of APABA-VA, would be the first Asian American to serve as an Article III judge in Virginia. A prominent member of the Chicago South Asian legal community, Judge Harjani was the first South Asian American to serve as a U.S. Magistrate in the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Ali is an experienced civil rights litigator who has worked to elevate the voices of marginalized communities at the U.S. Supreme Court. NAPABA is proud to support these nominees.”

Amir H. Ali has been President and Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center since 2021 and Director of the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic at Harvard Law School since 2018. Previously, Mr. Ali worked in private practice as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, DC, from 2013-17. He also served as a law clerk for Justice Marshall Rothstein on the Supreme Court of Canada from 2012-13 and Judge Raymond C. Fisher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2011-12. Mr. Ali received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2011 and his B.S.E. from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, in 2008.

Judge Sunil R. Harjani has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2019. Judge Harjani served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2008-19. He also practiced federal civil litigation as a senior counsel at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission from 2004-08 and as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago from 2000-01 and 2002-04. Judge Harjani served as a law clerk for Judge Suzanne B. Conlon on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2001-02. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2000 and his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1997.

Jasmine H. Yoon has been the Vice President of Corporate Integrity, Ethics, and Investigations at Capital One Financial Corporation since 2022. Previously, Ms. Yoon worked as Interim University Counsel and Associate University Counsel at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville from 2019-22. Prior to that, Ms. Yoon served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2010-16. Ms. Yoon was also an associate at Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC, from 2006-09 in its White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement group. She served as a law clerk for Judge James C. Cacheris on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2009-10. Ms. Yoon received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2006 and her B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2003.

NAPABA thanks Senators Durbin and Duckworth of Illinois, Senators Warner and Kaine of Virginia, and Delegate Norton of the District of Columbia for supporting their nominations.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Judge Loren L. AliKhan to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia


For Immediate Release: 
Date: December 5, 2023 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Loren L. AliKhan to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge AliKhan is the first South Asian American woman to serve on this court.

“NAPABA congratulates Judge AliKhan on her confirmation,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “A former Solicitor General for the District and Judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Judge AliKhan will bring a wealth of experience in her service to the residents of Washington, DC on the U.S. District Court.”

“Judge AliKhan is the second Asian American that President Biden has nominated and confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “Today, President Biden has increased his record-breaking benchmark with 29 AANHPI Article III judges that the U.S. Senate has confirmed. We thank President Biden for nominating Judge AliKhan, and Delegate Norton for recommending her.”

Judge AliKhan was the first Asian American 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 Area. 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 Judge Louis H. Pollak on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge AliKhan is a graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and the Georgetown University Law Center.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Disagrees with Eighth Circuit Decision Undermining Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965


For Immediate Release: 
Date: November 27, 2023 		Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy 

WASHINGTON – Since 1965, our Nation relied on the promise of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It prohibits state and local governments from advancing any election or voting standard that discriminates on the basis of race or color. For decades, private parties brought numerous enforcement actions under Section 2, which became a critical tool to realize Section 2’s fundamental guarantee of equal voting rights for all Americans. Even the Supreme Court of the United States, as it invalidated a separate part of the Act in Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013), recognized the ability of private parties to enforce Section 2 through litigation, observing not only that “individuals have sued to enforce [Section] 2,” but also that “Section 2 is permanent [and] applies nationwide.” And just this past term, in Allen v. Milligan, 599 U.S. _ (2023), the Supreme Court decided a Section 2 claim in favor of private litigants challenging Alabama’s congressional districting plan.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, however, seeks to chart a different course. On November 20, 2023, in a 2-1 decision that disregards decades of precedent, the court held in Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment that private parties may not bring enforcement actions under Section 2. In its view, only the Attorney General of the United States may do so.

We disagree. Nothing in the plain text of Section 2 compels this result. Considering the long history of Section 2, coupled with Congress’s explicit countenance, the private enforcement mechanism is a central feature of Section 2’s protection of equal voting rights. The Eighth Circuit’s decision, which comes less than a year before the 2024 presidential election, risks upending widespread reliance on a core protection of the Act. If left intact, it leaves any vindication of Section 2 rights to the sole discretion of one government official rather than with the voters themselves.

While this litigation continues, NAPABA continues to call on Congress to strengthen the Voting Rights Act by restoring the Act’s coverage in the aftermath of Shelby County, maximizing the full protections for all eligible Americans to vote, and prohibiting voter suppression efforts that impact the Asian American community along with other communities of color.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Judge Kenly Kiya Kato to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

For Immediate Release: November 7, 2023
Contact: Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director for Policy
WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Kenly Kiya Kato’s nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 

“NAPABA congratulates Judge Kato on her confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. An experienced jurist, her service as a U.S. Magistrate Judge on that court since 2014 has been exemplary,” said Sandra Leung, President of NAPABA. “Active in the AANHPI community, her commitment to public service and access to justice was shaped by the incarceration of her parents during World War II solely because they were of Japanese descent.”

“Judge Kato is the 26th Article III judge from the AANHPI community that was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. President Biden continues to extend his record of judges from the AANHPI community,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “We thank President Biden for nominating Judge Kato and the late Senator Feinstein and Senator Padilla for recommending her.”

Prior to Judge Kato’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court, she served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Earlier in her career, she maintained a private practice and was a deputy federal public defender. Judge Kato was a law clerk to the late Judge Robert M. Takasugi of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and Harvard Law School.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.
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NAPABA Celebrates the Confirmation of Judge John H. Chun

For Immediate Release: 
Date: March 24, 2022 

Contact: Mary Tablante, Associate Strategic Communications & Marketing Director

WASHINGTON –Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge John H. Chun to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

“NAPABA congratulates Judge Chun on his confirmation to become only the second Asian American Article III district court judge in the state of Washington,” said A.B. Cruz III, acting president of NAPABA. “Judge Chun is a well-respected jurist who has deep ties to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including as a past president of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington and as a member of NAPABA and the Asian Bar Association of Washington.”

“We thank Senators Murray and Cantwell for recommending Judge Chun and the Biden-Harris Administration for upholding their promise to diversify the judiciary.”

AAPIs represent nearly 10% of the population and constitute the largest community of color in the state of Washington.

Judge Chun served as a judge on the Washington State Court of Appeals in Seattle, Washington and as a judge on the King County Superior Court. He has been recognized as a top Washington “Super Lawyer.” He was a clerk for the Honorable Eugene A. Wright on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and is a graduate of Columbia University and Cornell Law School.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.