PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: June 8, 2012
Contact: Bryant Yang at bryant.yang@gmail.com

Los Angeles, CA – The Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) of Los Angeles County (www.apaba.org) applauds Halim Dhanidina’s historic appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Dhanidina to the state bench on May 18, 2012, making him the first Muslim American judge ever appointed in the state of California.

“Governor Brown could not have made a better appointment,” exclaimed Edmond Sung, APABA president. “Halim Dhanidina has been a tireless leader within the Asian Pacific American community for many years. He has served APABA as a Board member, co-Chair of the Public and Judicial Appointments Committee, co-Chair of the Community Service Committee, and Historian. We are going to miss his presence on the Board of Governors tremendously.” Dhanidina also served as Director for the South Asian Bar Association and regularly conducted training for the South Asian Network on domestic violence, sex crimes, and child abduction.

Dhanidina is unquestionably qualified for the state judiciary. He graduated from Pomona College and the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. He has extensive trial experience as a Deputy District Attorney for over 14 years, trying 68 jury trials including 24 murders and seven capital cases. Because of his great reputation in the District Attorney’s Office and the defense bar, he was elevated to the Hardcore Gang Division and the Major Crimes Division. He also taught as an adjunct professor in the paralegal program at West Los Angeles College and the Glendale University College of Law, and is currently part of the adjunct faculty at Whittier Law School. Dhanidina is the recipient of countless awards: Award for Senior Service from Pomona College, Recognition for Victims’ Rights Advocacy by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Honoree for Successful Murder Prosecutions by Justice for Homicide Victims, and Award for Commitment to Community Service by the South Asian Network.

“Besides being a wonderful person with sharp intellect and impeccable temperament, APABA proudly supported Dhanidina because he exhibits a profound understanding, as a talented prosecutor, that crime cannot simply be punished,” stated Tim Laske, co-Chair of the Public and Judicial Appointments Committee. “Dhanidina has engaged APABA with numerous organizations that promote preventive measures to keep our community safe. “ Through his efforts, APABA partnered with SHADES (Stopping Hate & Delinquency by Empowering Students) and APABA’s members were able to serve as mentors and case proctors for teenage jurors in an innovative “Teen Court” program, which provides an alternative to traditional school discipline. Dhanidina similarly organized a gang intervention workshop for at-risk youth at the Asian Youth Center in the City of San Gabriel.