Source: Asian Pacific Bar of California

Asian Pacific Bar of California Pleased with Nomination of Goodwin H. Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

SAN FRANCISCO (February 24, 2010) -- The Asian Pacific Bar of California applauds President Obama’s nomination of Goodwin H. Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Liu joins Judge Denny Chin, nominee to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals as the second Asian Pacific American nominated to the court of appeals by the President.   Currently there are no Asian Pacific Americans serving on the court of appeals.  

“Professor Liu is fair-minded and accomplished attorney who is supported by lawyers from a wide range of political philosophies,” said Edwin Prather, President of the Asian Pacific Bar of California.  “Judge Wallace Tashima who took senior status in 2004 was the last Asian Pacific American appointed to serve on the Ninth Circuit.  The Asian Pacific Bar is pleased that the Ninth Circuit will add, if Professor Liu is confirmed, an Asian Pacific American appellate judge who is an acclaimed constitutional and educational law policy scholar.”

Goodwin H. Liu is associate dean and professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law and is a distinguished graduate of Stanford, Oxford, and Yale Law School.  Prior to his appointment at Berkeley, Liu was a member of the appellate practice group at O’Melveny & Myers, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and clerked for Judge David Tatel on the D.C. Circuit.  Liu was also a Rhodes Scholar and is a member of the American Law Institute.

The Asian Pacific Bar of California is a statewide consortium of local Asian American and Pacific Islander bar associations established in 1981.  Through its project FairJudges.net, the Asian Pacific Bar of California, is a resource for information related to the judicial nominations process.  The Asian Pacific Bar of California believes in fair and independent courts and the fair and equal treatment of individuals nominated to serve in our judiciary.

The Asian Pacific Bar of California congratulates Professor Liu on his historic nomination.  The Asian Pacific Bar of California also thanks President Obama for nominating him, and commends Senators Feinstein and Boxer for their support of this nomination.

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Established in 1981, the Asian Pacific Bar of California has been the collective voice for the Asian American legal community in the State of California, actively promoting and supporting the appointment of Asian Americans to the bench on all levels.