NAPABA APPLAUDS NOMINATION OF THEODORE CHUANG TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2013
Contact: Emily Chatterjee
(202) 775-9555
NAPABA APPLAUDS NOMINATION OF THEODORE CHUANG TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama nominated Theodore Chuang to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. If confirmed, Chuang will be the first person of Asian descent to serve as a federal judge in the state of Maryland, and the first person of Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in any of the courts covered by the Fourth Circuit.
“We commend Theodore Chuang on his historic nomination to the federal bench,” said Tina Matsuoka, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Mr. Chuang is exceptionally qualified to serve on the federal judiciary in Maryland. We also applaud President Obama’s ongoing commitment to nominating qualified Asian Pacific Americans to serve on the federal courts.” If all of the current Asian Pacific American judicial nominees are confirmed by the Senate, President Obama will have more than tripled than the number of Asian Pacific American federal judges since he first took office.
Mr. Chuang currently serves as Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he has worked since 2009. Previously, Chuang was the Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in 2009 and Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2007 to 2009. From 1998 to 2004, Chuang served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Chuang was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Chuang also has been active in community service. He has held leadership positions with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, District of Columbia Bar, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area.
NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Theodore Chuang to the bench and Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin of Maryland for their support of his nomination.
###
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 40,000 attorneys and 66 state and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service 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.
//static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/picasaweb.googleusercontent.com/slideshow.swf
At the 2013 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference hosted by Weil Gotshal, a plenary session was held during the luncheon to explore the recent United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
The luncheon was sponsored by Kobre & Kim. Welcome remarks were given by Mike Huang, President of AABANY, Fred Green, Management Committee Member, Mergers & Acquisitions Partner and Sponsor to the Asian Attorney Affinity Group at Weil, and Wendy Shiba, President of NAPABA. Board member and past AABANY President Robert Leung presented brief remarks about AABANY’s newest committee, the Career Placement Committee, and invited broad participation in it.
The Program Chair for the plenary session was Sarah Seo, Co-Chair of the Academic Committee. She introduced the Hon. Pamela K. Chen, United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, moderator of the panel.
Panelists included Khin Mai Aung, Director of the Educational Equity Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), who submitted an amicus brief in the Fisher case, and Hemmie Chang, Partner at Foley Hoag, who led her firm’s efforts in supporting AALDEF’s amicus filing in Fisher. Also on the panel were Michael Park, Partner at Dechert, and William Consovoy, Partner at Wiley Rein, who submitted briefs on Fisher’s side of the case before the Supreme Court.
The room was filled to capacity and many of the attendees had to go to the overflow room next door to watch the panel discussion on video.
The panel took several thoughtful and pointed questions from the audience during the Q&A portion.
Thanks to our Key Sponsor Hudson Court Reporting and Video for taking video and transcription of the plenary session.
NAPABA Press Release: Manish Shah Nominated to Serve as District Court Judge
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2013
Contact: Emily Chatterjee
(202) 775-9555
MANISH SHAH NOMINATED TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama nominated Manish Suresh Shah to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If confirmed, Shah will be the first person of South Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in the state of Illinois.
“We applaud Manish Shah’s historic nomination to the federal bench,” said Wendy C. Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Mr. Shah has devoted his career to public service in the U.S. Attorney’s office, and his deep experience in criminal law will be an asset to the Northern District of Illinois. We hope that the Senate votes to confirm him swiftly.”
Since 2001, Shah has worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Since July 2012, he has served as Chief of the Criminal Division, and previously served as Chief of Criminal Appeals. During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he has also worked in the General Crimes, Narcotics & Gangs, and Public Corruption units. Shah attended the University of Chicago Law School and Stanford University, and went on to clerk for Judge James B. Zagel of the Northern District of Illinois.
NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Mr. Shah to the bench and Senators Kirk and Durbin of Illinois for their support of his nomination.
SDNY NOTICE: SDNY Accepting Applications for Magistrate Judge
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has announced a vacancy for a full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge position in the White Plains courthouse. The SDNY’s public notice, which contains additional information about the position and the application, is available on the court’s website at www.nysd.uscourts.gov. AABANY encourages all qualified attorneys with an interest in serving in the federal judiciary to submit an application, which is due no later than September 30, 2013. If you have any questions about the position or would like assistance in connection with your application, please contact any of the Co-chairs of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee:
- Vince Chang([email protected]),
- Theo Cheng ([email protected]),
- James Chou ([email protected]), or
- Robert Leung ([email protected]).
CHIEF JUDGE LORETTA A. PRESKA AND CONGRESSMAN JOSÉ E. SERRANO ANNOUNCE FUNDING FOR NEW SECURITY PAVILION AT UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
Loretta A. Preska, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and Congressman José E. Serrano (NY–15) announced today that the court received $10.44 million to build a security pavilion outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, located at 500 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan.
“We gather here today to celebrate a success of bipartisan government action to improve the security of our courthouse and of the people who come here every day to do business,” said Chief Judge Preska. “We have been pursuing the means to construct this pavilion since September 11, and today’s triumph is long overdue.”
The pavilion will enhance security at and speed entry to the busy federal courthouse, home of many high-profile proceedings. The project was conceived after 9/11, but funding for the pavilion was not found until recently.
Congressman Serrano, who was instrumental in appropriating funds for the project, said: “I was happy to be able to intercede on the Moynihan Courthouse’s behalf from my seat on the Appropriations Committee. We know that keeping our federal buildings secure is of the utmost importance, especially one with high sensitivity trials involving national security like Moynihan. Waiting years after 9/11 was unacceptable.” No new appropriation was made to fund the pavilion; funds were reprogrammed from completed or cancelled projects.
Other key representatives who helped secure funding for the project were also on hand for today’s announcement:
“This new security pavilion is an essential modernization of the Moynihan Courthouse that will ensure that Manhattan’s federal court is a safe space for all who use it,“ said Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10). “For the wheels of justice to operate smoothly, it is vital that our courthouses be secure. This is especially true in my district in Lower Manhattan, where we are still very much living in the shadow of 9/11.”
Representative Peter King (NY–2), said: “As the leading terrorist target, New York’s security is essential. I am proud to have played a part in ensuring funds for the Moynihan Federal Courthouse’s new security pavilion. It is imperative that all those who work for justice can do so in a secure environment.”
The U.S. General Services Administration will oversee construction, which is slated to begin in October and completed in April 2015. The 4,500 square foot glass and steel structure will be situated on the west side of the courthouse.
NAPABA SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY AS U.S. SUPREME COURT HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASES
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2013
Contact: Azizah Ahmad
(202) 775-9555
NAPABA SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY AS U.S. SUPREME COURT
HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CASES
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the first of two oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. The first case is Hollingsworth v. Perry, a challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in the state. Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, which challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was signed into law in 1996 and denies same-sex couples access to federal protections such as Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, health insurance, and retirement savings benefits. The decisions in both cases will likely be announced in June.
“We strongly support marriage equality and encourage the Court to uphold equal protection for same-sex couples,” said Wendy Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Anti-miscegenation laws, which denied Asian Pacific Americans the right to marry freely, have a shameful history in our country. Americans of all races, sex, color, creed, or sexual orientation should have the right to marry the person they love and be treated equally under the law.”
NAPABA has long supported marriage e quality. In 2008, NAPABA and six of its affiliates were among the 60 local, state, and national Asian Pacific American organizations that filed amicus briefs supporting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in California. NAPABA has also joined amicus briefs in lower court proceedings in the Perry and Windsor cases. This year, NAPABA joined amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of marriage equality in Hollingsworth v. Perry and Windsor v. United States.
###
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 40,000 attorneys and 63 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service 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 federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.
DOJ Volunteer Internship Opportunities
Click on the image to view the flyer as a PDF.