Endorsements

Goals of the Nominations Committee 

• To promote the appointment of candidates to the judiciary or other public offices who have a demonstrated commitment to the equal treatment of all litigants and citizens, and who are sensitive and responsive to the needs and concerns of the Asian Pacific American community in the Washington, D.C. area;
• 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; and
• To 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.

Responsibilities of the Nominations Committee

To accomplish its goals, the Committee’s responsibilities include:

• Endorsing candidates for judicial or political appointments who are the most qualified; who are committed to equal 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;
• Establishing 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;
• Educating the legal community about the judicial nominations and political appointment processes; and
• Helping identify, and providing guidance and support to, candidates for the judiciary, senior level government, and D.C. Bar leadership, including APABA-DC members.

Examples of 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.

Endorsement Policy

Further detail on the Nominations Committee can be found in APABA-DC’s Endorsement Policy and Procedures (Revised October 5, 2010).

2017-2018 Nominations Committee Members

• Arun Rao and Kakoli Caprihan (Co-Chairs)
• Benjamin Huh
• Joanne Chan
• Tacie Yoon
• Andrew Wone
• Samuel Go
• Sujit Raman
• Rakesh Kilaru
• Teddy Kang
• Erica Suter

Contact

If you have any questions or would like the Committee to consider endorsing you for a position, please contact the Committee’s co-chairs at [email protected].