Speakers
Hon. Peggy Kuo, Eastern District of New York
Hon. Karen Lin, New York State Supreme Court
Hon. Judy Kim, New York State Supreme Court, New York County
Hon. Frances Wang, Queens Supreme Court
Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department
Hon. Pamela Chen
Albert Tong, Chair of the Student Outreach Committee of AABANY
Emily Kam, Columbia University
Gracie Iwersen, Seton Hall University School of Law
Charlotte Kim, Fordham School of Law
Eliana Yuna Jeong, Columbia University
Emily Lai, Albany Law School
Mirai Kim, Seton Hall University School of Law
Ariel Zhang, St. John’s University School of Law
Becky Chen, Appellate Division, Second Department
Gary Yeung, McDermott Will & Schulte
Jameson Xu, Law Offices of Jameson Xu PLLC
Hassan Jamil, Asian American Law Students Association at Touro Law Center
Kwok Ng, New York State Unified Court System
Vishal Chander, The Chander Law Firm; AABANY Issues Committee
Moderator
Rose Cuison-Villazor, Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers Law School
Description
This program is an AABANY Trial Reenactment of Ozawa v. U.S. (1922) and U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923), two landmark Supreme Court cases that denied Asian immigrants the right to naturalized citizenship based on race.
Ozawa and Thind reveal how American citizenship was shaped by racial boundaries rather than equality. Ozawa’s appeal to cultural assimilation and Thind’s reliance on science led to both men being excluded because they were not considered “white.” Their cases underscore how acceptance was based on bias, not reason.
These reenactments highlight the power of community, resilience, and solidarity in the face of exclusion. As birthright citizenship comes under renewed scrutiny today, their stories remind us that inclusion is an ongoing struggle that requires collective action to protect the rights of all who call this country home.