MNAPABA is now accepting applications for the 2016-2017 Executive Board. Applications are due to President-Elect Ben Kwan by August 17, 2016. 

Find complete details regarding board positions and the application process on the Apply for the 2016-2017 Executive Board page of our website. 

The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that judgeship vacancies are occurring in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District Court. These vacancies will occur upon the retirements of the Honorable Diane R. Alshouse, effective September 23, 2016, and the Honorable James H. Clark, effective October 31, 2016, and will be chambered at Saint Paul in Ramsey County.

The Commission is searching for fair, experienced, and civic-minded individuals to serve on the bench and offer their talents and services to Minnesota’s judicial system. The following qualities will be considered for judicial office: integrity, maturity, health (if job related), judicial temperament, legal knowledge, ability, experience, and community service. The application process is now open for these vacancies.

An individual wishing to apply may request an application by writing to Lee E. Sheehy, Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection, at 116 Veterans Service Building, 20 West 12^th Street, St. Paul, MN 55155, or by contacting Lidya Makonnen, Appointments Coordinator, via e-mail at lidya.makonnen@state.mn.us. A cover letter and resume should also be submitted with the application. Application materials are due by close of business on Monday, August 15, 2016. Interviews are scheduled to be held on Thursday, September 1, 2016.

For inquiries concerning the application process, please contact Lidya Makonnen at lidya.makonnen@state.mn.us or at (651) 201-3451.

MNAPABA ENDORSEMENTS

MNAPABA endorses and promotes minority attorneys for judicial appointments. For interested candidates, please send an email correspondence requesting the endorsement. In the email, enclose a copy of the completed judicial application form and any pertinent writing samples to the President of MNAPABA, Greg Schwartz (GSchwartz@billionarmitage.com). You can also contact MNAPABA Immediate Past President and chair of our judicial selection committee, Irene Kao (ikao@lmc.org) for questions. 

For more information about the endorsement process, please see here. 

The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that a judgeship vacancy is occurring in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District Court. This vacancy was created upon the appointment of the Honorable Anne K. McKeig to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and will be chambered at Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

The Commission is searching for fair, experienced, and civic-minded individuals to serve on the bench and offer their talents and services to Minnesota’s judicial system. The following qualities will be considered for judicial office: integrity, maturity, health (if job related), judicial temperament, legal knowledge, ability, experience, and community service. The application process is now open for this vacancy.

An individual wishing to apply may request an application by writing to Lee E. Sheehy, Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection, at 116 Veterans Service Building, 20 West 12^th Street, St. Paul, MN 55155, or by contacting Lidya Makonnen, Appointments Coordinator, via e-mail at lidya.makonnen@state.mn.us. A cover letter and resume should also be submitted with the application. Application materials are due by close of business on Thursday, August 18, 2016. Interviews are scheduled to be held on Friday, September 9, 2016 in Minneapolis.

For inquiries concerning the application process, please contact Lidya Makonnen atlidya.makonnen@state.mn.us or at (651) 201-3451.

2016 Presidential Town Hall & Voter Protection Training

Join NAPABA and our partners as we work to elevate the voices of the Asian Pacific American community and protect voting rights. Be a part of the 2016 National Asian American and Pacific Islanders Presidential Town Hall in Las Vegas and learn how you and your affiliate can host voter protection trainings and monitor elections.

1)      2016 Presidential Town Hall | Aug. 12 | Las Vegas

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and the Asian American Journalists Association are co-hosting the 2016 Presidential Town Hall, which NAPABA is joining as a National Partner. The Town Hall has served as a non-partisan forum for Asian Pacific Americans to discuss issues relevant to our communities and ensure that our concerns are addressed and by campaigns and the media. 

• Learn more and register by Aug. 1 here.

2)      NAPABA Voter Protection Training (CLE) | Aug. 13 | Las Vegas

As part of the 2016 Presidential Town Hall community programming, NAPABA will be offering a CLE about non-partisan voter protection and poll monitoring. Participants will learn from experts from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA  about how to monitor elections for compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act, including ensuring language access, and how to prepare other attorneys to engage in voter protection work. The CLE is free and open to the public.

• Learn more and register here.
  

3)      Host a Voter Protection Training & Get Resources

Teach your members how to protect the rights of voters, including individuals who are limited English proficient, on election day. NAPABA affiliates interested in hosting voter protection training sessions in their communities may apply for Affiliate Grant programs to help cover costs associated with the training sessions. Partner with advocacy organizations such as AALDEF and Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliates (AAJC, ALC, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles) to help provide technical assistance to voters.

• Apply for an Affiliate Grant and learn about partner organizations here.
  

4)      Host a Community Watch Party | Aug. 12

Sign-up to host a watch party to demonstrate to the Presidential campaigns and local parties that the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is very engaged for the 2016 election cycle and we are ready to go vote! This event seeks to educate voters about the Presidential candidates as they address issues that are important to our community.

• Learn more here.

Please join MMAA for a discussion of traditional and non-traditional paths to career excellence, followed by a happy hour.  Panelists  Julia Dayton-Klein, Principal at Gray Plant Mooty  Sarah E. Crippen, Managing Partner at Best & Flanagan LLP Maureen Sheehan, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at ITM TwentyFirst Jenny Gassman Pines, Partner at Greene Espel PLLP Event Details  When:  Thursday, July 21, 2016 4:00-6:00 p.m.  Where:  Dorsey & Whitney LLP 50 South Sixth Street, Suite 1500, Minneapolis 55402  Cost: Members - Free Non-members - $15 *Heavy appetizers and drinks will be provided. *1.0 CLE is being applied for.

Get more information

Register Now!

I can't make it

MMAA is an organization whose mission is to promote the professional development of mother attorneys by capitalizing on the special opportunities and skills that arise from motherhood to drive career excellence. All are welcome. For more information about MMAA, please visit our website at www.mnmaa.org. If you have any questions about the event or how to register, please contact Adebisi Wilson (adebisi.mmaa@gmail.com) or Courtney Grimsrud (courtney.grimsrud@abbotdowning.com).

TCDIP is hoping to have a representative from each affinity bar give a short 2 minute speech about their organization.  Please make sure your bar association is represented at this event!  Email Lily Shaw at ​lshaw@diversityinpractice.org if you are interested in attending.

Here is the information for the event:

Friday, July 15, 2016
5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location Seven: Steakhouse, Sushi Rooftop Deck (700 Hennepin)

 

Gala 2016

In celebration of the 20th anniversary
of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

 

Schedule of Events:
6:00 – 7:30 pm:  Reception and Silent Auction
7:30 – 9:00 pm: Internationally-Inspired Dinner and Program
9:00 pm – Midnight: Dancing with Salsa del Soul

Purchase tickets here

or call 651-641-1011.

Please RSVP by September 1, 2016
Early Bird tickets available through August 1st!

 

View photos from our 2015 Gala here!

Interested in donating to our silent auction? ContactSarah.Trautman@ilcm.org.

All other questions regarding ILCM’s 20th Anniversary Gala may be directed to Meg Pierce, Development Coordinator, at Meghan.Pierce@ilcm.org.

Congratulations to MNAPABA member, Jamie Cork, for her judicial appointment. Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment on June 10, 2016. Ms. Cork will replace the Honorable Patrice K. Sutherland, and will be chambered at Hastings in Dakota County.

Ms. Cork is an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, where she works in the Child Protection Division. Previously, she was an adjunct professor at Hamline University School of Law and the University of St. Thomas School of Law, a counselor at Ryan Community, Inc., and a patrol officer in Outagamie County in Wisconsin. She earned her B.A. from Mount Senario College in Wisconsin and her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.

MNAPABA plans to host a reception for Ms. Cork soon. Stay tuned.

Carolina A. Lamas is a judge of the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota. Governor Mark Dayton appointed Judge Lamas to the bench on February 3, 2014. Her initial term expires on January 2, 2017. She is running for her seat in the primary election against Luke Bellville on August 9, 2016.

During her time on the bench, Judge Lamas has presided primarily over felony-level criminal trials. She has also received extensive training in “problem-solving” courts. Judge Lamas earned a reputation as a thoughtful, fair and impartial judge. The MNAPABA Board was impressed with Judge Lamas’ understanding of issues for people of color in the courtroom, including specific issues that face the Asian community. For all these reasons, the MNAPABA Board chose to support Judge Lamas in her campaign.

Lamas earned both her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota. Before she became a district judge, she was the executive director and chief attorney for the Neighborhood Justice Center, Inc. Before that, she was an assistant public defender in the Ramsey County Office of the Public Defender, in the Second Judicial District.

You can view Luke Bellville’s profile here: http://lukeforjudge.tripod.com

To support Judge Lamas in her re-election, please visit her website: http://judgelamas.com/

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WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is disappointed by the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision announced today in United States v. Texas. The court did not reach a decision in a challenge to the President’s executive action on immigration, including the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The split outcome leaves in place the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision to block implementation of the programs.

“We are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision not to make a clear statement on the Fifth Circuit’s ruling to enjoin the implementation of these important immigration policies. The outcome leaves over four million undocumented immigrants living in the shadow of deportation,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “Today’s result underscores the importance of Congress taking swift action to pass comprehensive immigration reform”

The lower court in this case temporarily blocked the implementation of the expanded DACA and DAPA programs, which affected an estimated 4.9 million undocumented and vulnerable immigrants, including approximately 1.3 million Asian Pacific Americans. Under these programs, eligible applicants would not be a priority for deportation and could apply for a temporary work authorization. The original DACA program remains unaffected and more than 100,000 Asian Pacific Americans remain eligible for that program.

NAPABA, along with a diverse coalition of 325 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups, including the National Immigration Law Center, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in this case to urge the Court to lift the injunction that has blocked the President’s executive action on immigration from moving forward. View the brief here.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.