WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 23, 2016) — OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates calls upon President Obama to nominate an Asian American to the Supreme Court, in the wake of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
This past weekend, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away igniting a debate about who President Obama would nominate as a Supreme Court successor. Several news outlets have speculated that there are qualified Asian Americans who could be nominated, though the President has yet to comment significantly on who he may be considering.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,” said Leslie Moe-Kaiser, OCA National President. “He was a true giant on the Supreme Court and though his views often diverged from our own, we respected his views and his service to the American people.”
“As the President considers who he will nominate, we join the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and many other national Asian American organizations in inviting him to consider qualified individuals in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” offered Moe-Kaiser. “One of the Obama’s great legacies will be taking major strides towards diversifying the judicial pool by appointing a record number of Asian Americans to the judiciary. He now has an opportunity to cement this commitment to diversity by appointing the first Asian American or Pacific Islander to serve on the Supreme Court. As landmark immigration, affirmative action, and voting rights cases that affect our community deeply are being decided, it is the right time for a qualified Asian American or Pacific Islander Justice to bring their unique experiences with them to the Supreme Court.”
“At a time when Asian American youth have the lowest rates of political participation of any other racial group, it is important that the children in our community have major civic leaders they identify with to propel them towards civic engagement and public service. Just as the historic appointment of Thurgood Marshall in 1967 inspired and continues to inspire so many within the Black community to enter law, the appointment of an Asian American justice will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of Asian American and Pacific Islander lawyers, jurists, and legal scholars to reach for the stars,” concluded Moe-Kaiser.
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).
