APABA APPLAUDS THE HISTORIC APPOINTMENT OF FORMER APABA PRESIDENT BRYANT YANG AS JUDGE OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT

CONTACT: Arnold Lee, arnoldlee.apaba@gmail.com

November 17, 2020, Los Angeles, CA - The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County (APABA) celebrates the historic appointment of Bryant Yang as Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Yang is the first Burmese American judge in the United States.

Judge Yang joined the APABA Board of Governors in 2009 and served as its President in 2016, and is currently actively involved on its Advisory Board. His experience in the legal field includes a wide range of civil and criminal work at both the state and federal levels. Most recently, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. Prior to that, he handled complex criminal defense and business litigation at the law firm of Irell & Manella LLP. He has also clerked for esteemed judges on both the Ninth Circuit and Central District of California courts.

Judge Yang’s commitment to APABA has spanned well over a decade, and it is merely one of the ways he has dedicated himself to community service. On the APABA board, he has helped Asian American and Pacific Islander candidates secure appointments to the judiciary, created a Judgment Enforcement Clinic to assist litigants in collecting on judgments won in court, and established programs highlighting diverse trailblazers in the legal profession throughout the state. To name just a few of his other avenues of community involvement, he has also chaired the City of Monterey Park’s Recreation and Parks Commission, and served on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants.

Judge Yang’s humble beginnings make his appointment by Governor Newsom all the more impressive. At the age of five, Judge Yang immigrated to the United States and had to immediately learn a new language and assimilate into a new culture. During his childhood, his parents worked as cashier and stock boy at the National Dollar Stores chain. After his father passed away, Judge Yang worked three jobs in college to finance his education and support his mother, and he continued to work part-time while attending law school. He also maintained his connection with his Burmese roots by spending several months working with Burmese refugees at the Myanmar-Thailand border. Over thirteen years ago, he established a memorial scholarship in his father’s name, and it awards funds every year to worthy San Gabriel Valley students who are immigrants or children of immigrants, to support their pursuit of higher education.

“APABA congratulates our friend Bryant on his outstanding and well-deserved appointment. Bryant’s professional qualifications more than speak for themselves, but it is his tireless commitment to the community that truly defines his character and is what endears him to our organization,” stated APABA President Christina Yang (no relation). “We are so pleased that the Governor made such a phenomenal choice for the bench. We know that Bryant will be an invaluable addition to the courts, and will ensure access to justice for all who come before him.”

APABA applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom for the momentous appointment of Judge Yang, and is thankful for the Governor’s continued commitment to diversity on the bench.