ABAS

The Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento joins with the National Asian Pacific Bar Association in urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing and Vote on Supreme Court Nominee

While we are naturally disappointed that the President missed an opportunity to make history by nominating the first Asian Pacific American to the Supreme Court, Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento joins NAPABA as one of 54 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations urging Senate leaders to hold a timely vote on any upcoming candidates nominated to fill the current vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

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The Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento joins with the National Asian Pacific Bar Association in its opposition to Indiana’s SB 101 and similar laws that justify discrimination against LGBT Americans

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2015
Contact: AuriaJoy Asaria
(202) 775-9555, ext. 3
NAPABA OPPOSES INDIANA GOVERNOR’S PASSAGE OF
ANTI-LGBT BILL
WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law SB 101, legislation that would enable businesses to discriminate under the banner of religious freedom against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Religious claims have in the past been used to justify slavery, segregation, and bans on interracial marriage and are now being used in the same manner to support discrimination against LGBT individuals.
“Governor Pence’s decision to support a law that permits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is disheartening and a step backwards for all Americans,” said George C. Chen, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Religious freedom is important, but discrimination masked as religious freedom is not acceptable anywhere in our nation.”
With this new law, Indiana has become the first state in the U.S. this year to enact legislation by allowing corporations and individuals to refuse to provide services to individuals simply by asserting that a discriminatory act is based on a sincerely held religious belief. Supporters of the bill deny that the bill is about discrimination and argue that religious liberties are under attack and must be protected. But this kind of legislation opens the door for widespread discrimination and goes against American values of diversity and inclusion. NAPABA supports efforts to oppose SB 101 and similar bills pending in others states to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation.
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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 70 national, 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.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400 | Washington, DC 20006
 
http://www.napaba.org/?page=PressReleases

CALL TO ACTION – Preserve California’s Judicial Branch of Government: April 22, 2015

Court Budget Info Sheet Link
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | 1:30 PM
State Capitol, Room 437 (Assembly Budget Sub-5), 1315 10th St, Sacramento, CA 95814

As you may know, California’s judiciary has been hit by devastating and unprecedented budget cuts since 2008. This has resulted in the closing of many courthouses, reduced services statewide, and eroded the public’s access to justice. For example, we may have experience where our clients have been denied access to justice due to long lines, trailing court dates, court closures, etc.

A rallying cry has been issued and a wide array from our community have joined in the effort – the Chief Justice, the Judicial Council, the Sacramento Bar Association of Sacramento (SCBA), bar association leaders from all affiliates including ABAS, the District Attorney, the Public Defender, etc.

THE CALL: If you or someone in your outreach network could attend one or more of these hearings, it would be helpful. In particular, if you or anyone you know have any personal stories to share about problems with the courts due to insufficient funding, that would be helpful, also. A mass presence at the meeting and any public comment would help show the breadth and depth of concern within the legal community.

We hope to see a critical mass of your outreach network on April 22nd. The united message sought is to restore justice:

  • Please fund the courts.
  • The Governor’s proposal, from the January 10 budget, is an excellent start, and we would strongly recommend that his budget be supported if not increased.
  • Access to justice remains stretched far too thin for the men, women, children, businesses, victims, and communities of our county.
  • And then whatever your personal stories are… as you know, they are the most compelling testimony of all.

Questions? Contact Andi Liebenbaum (liebenbaum@gmail.com; 916-323-3121). See also the enclosed summary on this issue (court budget).

CALL TO ACTION: Protesting the Auctioning of Japanese Internment Artifacts

ABAS Letter to David Rago re Auction of Internment Camp Artifacts

This Friday, April 17, 2015, Rago Auction house in New Jersey will be selling Japanese American incarceration heritage items to the highest bidder. These items include crafts, personal objects, and prisoner artworks that were made by family members held behind barbed wire during World War II. They were given (not sold) to the original collector, who opposed the incarceration, in the expectation that they would be exhibited. Now the collection is to be sold and dispersed into private hands against the original collector’s stated wishes.

The ABAS Board of Directors voted unanimously to condemn the auction. In letters sent to the Rago Auction House, we have called for the auction items to be withdrawn and that the Asian/Pacific Islander American community be given an opportunity to fully voice its concerns. The goal is to work towards an avenue to preserve the incredible collection of items donated by those incarcerated during World War II and their families, so as to benefit history.

New York Times: Rago auction house in Lambertville, N.J., is offering photos of internees and objects that they made, including cigarette cases woven from onion sack string and wooden family nameplates that were attached to barracks. The internees gave their artworks and furniture to the historian Allen Hendershott Eaton while he was researching his 1952 book, “Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: The Arts of the Japanese in Our War Relocation Camps.” http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/auction-of-art-made-by-japanese-americans-in-internment-camps-sparks-protest/?_r=1

Sacramento Bee: The collection belonged to the late Allen H. Eaton, a former Oregon state legislator and anti-war activist who became known as a champion of folk art. At the end of World War II, Eaton visited five incarceration camps to study the handicrafts made there.

The book featured 81 sets of photos of Japanese American artisans and their works. Most of the items came from Wyoming’s Heart Mountain Relocation Center, where thousands of Japanese Americans from California were imprisoned. Eaton died in 1962, and Rago has not disclosed who put his collection up for sale. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article18443588.html

Join the call to action. Contact the Rago Auction House to voice your concerns.

David Rago, rago@ragoarts.com<mailto:rago@ragoarts.com>

Suzanne Perrault, suzanne@ragoarts.com<mailto:suzanne@ragoarts.com>

Miriam Tucker, mtucker@ragoarts.com<mailto:mtucker@ragoarts.com>.

For more information, view the links below:

Link to auction:  Lots 1232-1255  (450 items bundled into 23 lots)
http://ragoarts.auctionserver.net/view-auctions/catalog/id/250/?page=3

Link to Facebook page re auction
https://www.facebook.com/japaneseamericanhistorynotforsale

Link to SacBee article
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article18443588.html

Link to NYTimes article
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/auction-of-art-made-by-japanese-americans-in-internment-camps-sparks-protest/?_r=1

What is ABAS?

ABAS is an association of attorneys, judges, law students, and friends who have associated for the purposes of professional development, community service, public appointments, advocacy, and camaraderie. Since its inception in 1981, ABAS has been an active voice for the legal profession and the API community, and was part of the founding efforts of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the Asian/Pacific Bar of California (ABC), and the Unity Bar Association of Sacramento. ABAS is certified by the State Bar of California and is an affiliate member organization of the Sacramento County Bar Assocation.

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