Joint Statement with APALA/NJ
on New Jersey Judicial Nominations
APALA/NJ MEDIA RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: March 18, 2008
CONTACT: Michael Angulo, President, (609) 954-6218, apalapres@gmail.com
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ASIAN AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONS APPLAUD EFFORTS
TO REMOVE BIAS AND PROMOTE DIVERSITY IN THE JUDICIARY
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TRENTON, NEW JERSEY. The Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA/NJ), together with the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), collectively representing several thousand attorneys of Asian descent, applaud New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for standing firmly against racism in the Judiciary.
Last week, Governor Corzine withdrew the reappointment of Superior Court Judge Fred Kieser, Jr., who sits in Middlesex County. Notably, Middlesex County is home to one of the highest concentrations of Asian-Americans in the State. During the March 10 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Kieser admitted that he told a litigant “no tickee, no laundry”. This statement is widely acknowledged as a racial slur perpetuating a negative stereotype of Asian business owners, and mocking Asian accents. Incredibly, Judge Kieser attempted to defend his statement by pointing out that the litigant was African American. Clearly, any racial slur is offensive and demeaning. When made in this context, the expectation of judicial fairness and objectivity is undermined. Ideally, given his indiscretion, Judge Kieser should never have been considered for reappointment. Nevertheless, the Governor’s action is welcome.
AABANY President Yang Chen stated, “AABANY joins APALA/NJ in recognizing Gov. Corzine for his withdrawal of Judge Keiser's reappointment. AABANY further supports APALA/NJ's call for appointment of more Asian American and other minority judges to the bench so that the courts can better reflect the rich diversity of New Jersey.”
A zero tolerance for racism in the Judiciary is a good first step. However, diversity cannot be accomplished without increasing the number of Asian American judges. Currently, New Jersey is facing an alarming lack of Asian American judges. New Jersey’s first Asian American judge was sworn in during 1993, and the second in 2000. Since then, there have never been more than 2 Asian American judges - out of 441 seats - in New Jersey’s Superior Court, a mere .0045% representation. As of June 30, 2008, unless the Governor acts, there will no longer be any Asian American judges remaining due to the recent retirement of the Hon. Patricia M. Talbert, J.S.C. (the State’s only Asian American and Native American woman Superior Court judge), and the impending retirement of the Hon. Randolph Subryan, J.S.C. Moreover, no Asian Americans serve on New Jersey’s Appellate Division or Supreme Court. This under representation of Asian
Americans in the judiciary is particularly alarming in light of New Jersey’s burgeoning Asian American community. New Jersey is home to approximately 650,000 Asian Americans, or nearly 8 percent of the state’s population. Only California and Hawaii have a greater proportion of Asian American residents. In fact, the Asian American community is one of the fastest growing in New Jersey, and the nation. In 2006, an overwhelming 82% polling of Asian American voters supported Jon Corzine’s gubernatorial victory.
“The disparity in the judiciary is unacceptable for a progressive state like New Jersey,” said Peter Tu, Acting Chair of APALA/NJ's Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee. "Despite being the most diverse state in the nation, New Jersey is comparable to Tennessee and Georgia in terms of the number of Asian Americans in the judiciary. Failure to rectify this disparity in the judiciary sends a negative message to the State’s Asian American community, and to all minorities considering residence or commerce in New Jersey,” Tu added.
“We remain hopeful that Governor Corzine will appoint Asian Americans to the judiciary in the next several months,” said APALA/NJ President Michael Angulo. New Jersey is home to hundreds of outstanding Asian American attorneys including high-ranking public officials, law professors, in-house counsel for New Jersey’s top companies, and prominent lawyers in the profession. “There is a robust pool of qualified Asian American attorneys in New Jersey. We ask Governor Corzine and our State Senators to focus their collective efforts on increasing Asian American representation in the judiciary,” Tu said.
“This is of critical importance to the Asian American community,” Angulo concluded.
Founded in 1985, APALA/NJ is the only Pan-Asian bar association serving the interests of hundreds of Asian American attorneys practicing in New Jersey. A nonpartisan tax exempt organization, APALA/NJ seeks to (1) promote and support a positive image of Asian Americans, (2) educate members and the community about issues of critical concern to Asian Americans, (3) support the professional advancement of Asian Americans in the legal profession, (4) provide networking opportunities for members, and (5) strengthen relationships between members and New Jersey's Asian American community. Additional information is available at www.apalanj.com.
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