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Endorsements

If you have questions about the APABA-DC Nominations Committee or would like to seek endorsement for a position, please review the APABA-DC Endorsement Policy and Procedures and contact the committee's co-chairs.

About the Nominations Committee
 

A principal goal of APABA-DC and its Nominations Committee is to promote the appointment of the most qualified candidates to the judiciary or other public offices and to promote increased diversity of the judiciary, senior level government, and District of Columbia Bar Association leadership, including expanded representation of the Asian Pacific American community in those positions.

In carrying out its responsibilities, the Nominations Committee works to:

  • Endorse candidates for judicial or political appointments who are the most qualified; who are committed to the fair treatment of all individuals, without regard to race, color, ethnic heritage, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other prohibited basis; and who are sensitive and responsive to the needs and concerns of the Asian Pacific American community;
  • Educate to the legal community about the judicial nominations and political appointment processes;
  • Identify, and provide guidance and support to, candidates for the judiciary, senior level government, and D.C. Bar leadership, including APABA-DC members;
  • Establish robust relationships with representatives of the courts or independent judicial working committees to serve as a resource to the judiciary concerning issues of diversity and of interest to the Asian Pacific American community; and
  • Ensure that local courts are informed and cognizant of matters of concern to the Asian Pacific American community that involve the legal system and access to justice.
Positions Appropriate For Endorsement


The Nominations Committee will consider endorsing candidates for judicial or political appointments, including positions with the following:

Judiciary:

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

  • District of Columbia Court of Appeals

  • District of Columbia Superior Court

Bar Associations:

  • The D.C. Bar (contested President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary positions only— The Board of Directors, however, has the discretion to consider requests for endorsement for other positions not listed above on a case-by-case basis.)

  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (contested positions only)

APABA-DC takes no position regarding, and does not endorse, candidates in partisan elections.

Further detail on the Nominations Committee can be found in the APABA-DC Endorsement Policy and Procedures. If you have any questions or would like the committee to consider endorsing you for a position, please contact the committee's co-chairs.  Please submit any requests for APABA-DC endorsement by email to nominations@apaba-dc.org at least four weeks before you need the endorsement, and no later than one day after the deadline for applications/nominations for the position you're pursuing. 

Nominations Committee Members


For the 2023 - 2024 board year, the Nominations Committee will include:


Erica Lai (Co-Chair)

Rakesh Kilaru

Jennifer Ngai Lavallee (Co-Chair)

Lloyd Liu

Angeline Chen

Rukku Singla

Minsuk Han

Andrew Wone

Dawn Yamane Hewett

Yiyang Wu

Dong Hong

Yifang Zhao


Some of APABA-DC’s Prior Successful Endorsements


  • Hon. Vijay Shanker (D.C. Court of Appeals)

  • Hon. Errol R. Arthur (D.C. Superior Court)

  • Mark T. Uyeda (Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee)

  • Hon. Florence Y. Pan (U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit; U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; D.C. Superior Court)

  • Roger Lu Phillips (Secretary, D.C. Board of Governors)

  • Hon. Loren L. AliKhan (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; D.C. Court of Appeals)

  • Hon. Jason Park (D.C. Superior Court)

  • Hon. Jennifer Choe Groves (Court of International Trade)

  • Hon. Amit Mehta (U.S. District Court for D.C.)

  • Hon. Theodore Chuang (U.S. District Court for District of Maryland)

  • Hon. Maribeth Raffinan (D.C. Superior Court)

  • Hon. Anita Josey-Herring (Chief Judge, D.C. Superior Court)

  • Ivan Fong (General Counsel, Dept. of Homeland Security)

  • Stuart Ishimaru (Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

  • Eric Holder (U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia)


APABA-DC is an affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

APABA-DC

P.O. Box 27223

Washington, DC 20038

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