For Immediate Release

San Francisco, CA (February 24, 2010) - - The Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA) congratulates Professor Goodwin Liu on his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. With Professor Liu’s nomination, President Obama nominates an individual dedicated to public service and a nationally recognized scholar.

When confirmed, Professor Liu, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, would be the only active Asian Pacific American federal appellate court judge in the country. (District Court Judge Denny Chin’s confirmation to the 2nd Circuit is currently pending in the US Senate, and Ninth Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima took senior status in 2004).

Professor Liu is a widely respected scholar and attorney whose career has focused in education law & policy and constitutional law. Professor Liu is currently the Associate Dean and Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law. He is also a consultant for the San Francisco Unified School District where he provides legal counsel to the public school system on complying with federal and state law while minimizing racial and socioeconomic segregation. Professor Liu previously worked as an associate at O’Melveny & Myers in the firm’s appellate practice. In addition to being a Rhodes Scholar, he also served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Upon hearing of the nomination, AABA President Garner Weng stated, “Professor Liu is a well recognized educational law scholar who has a distinguished academic and legal career. Currently, there are no Asian Pacific American judges on the Ninth Circuit, and today President Obama took a great step forward to fill that void by nominating an outstanding individual in Professor Liu.” According to estimates based on the 2000 Census, Asian Pacific Americans are near 4.5% of the total U.S. population. In the Ninth Circuit, which comprises California and eight other western states including Hawaii, Asian Pacific Americans make up approximately 10% of the population. Yet, of the approximately 175 active federal appellate court judges in the country, there are no Asian Pacific American active federal appellate court judges.

AABA applauds President Obama on continuing to nominate well qualified and diverse individuals for federal judgeships. AABA also wholeheartedly congratulates Professor Liu on his nomination.

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