{"id":256552,"date":"2026-06-05T17:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/256552\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:01:13","slug":"new-york-judges-and-justices-celebrate-the-power-of-unity-during-aapi-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/256552\/","title":{"rendered":"New York judges and justices celebrate \u2018The Power of Unity\u2019 during AAPI Heritage Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ninth Judicial District<\/a> \u2014 encompassing New York City\u2019s northern suburbs in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties \u2014 recently hosted \u201cThe Power of Unity: Honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage\u201d in White Plains.<\/p>\n

Presented by the District\u2019s Equal Justice in the Courts Committee, the May 21 program brought together judges, court staff, community members, and local leaders to celebrate AAPI heritage<\/a> and recognize two trailblazers whose work has advanced justice and representation across New York State.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s honorees, Hon. Lillian Wan and Westchester County Legislator David Imamura, each embody that commitment through their groundbreaking leadership and unwavering dedication to public service.<\/p>\n

\"LillianLillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department, speaks to guests before the 9th Judicial District Equal Justice in the Courts Committee presented \u201cThe Power of Unity: Honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage.\u201d Wan, and David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator, were recognized during the event at the Supreme and County Court of Westchester in White Plains, NY on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Lorenzo Ciniglio\/OCA<\/p>\n

Justice Wan, whose early passion for child welfare launched her legal career, made history in 2012 when she became the first Asian American woman to serve on the New York City Family Court bench. Her deep experience in protecting vulnerable children shaped her judicial approach and paved the way for further historic achievements.<\/p>\n

In 2022, she again broke barriers as the first Asian American woman appointed to New York State\u2019s Appellate Division, a milestone for representation within the state\u2019s mid-level appellate courts. She has also served as president of the Asian American Judges Association of New York, continuing her advocacy for diversity within the judiciary.<\/p>\n

\"\"David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator, speaks to guests before the 9th Judicial District Equal Justice in the Courts Committee presented \u201cThe Power of Unity: Honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage.\u201d The event recognized award recipient Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department and David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator during an event at the Supreme and County Court of Westchester in White Plains, NY on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Lorenzo Ciniglio\/OCA<\/p>\n

Imamura, meanwhile, became the first Asian American elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, representing a significant step forward in the county\u2019s civic representation. He brought extensive experience in law and policy, including chairing New York State\u2019s Independent Redistricting Commission, and has remained an outspoken advocate for immigrant rights, fair housing, and community empowerment.<\/p>\n

His service reflects a longstanding commitment to ensuring government institutions reflect and respond to the communities they serve.\n<\/p>\n

\"\"Joseph A. Zayas, Chief Administrative Judge, speaks to guests before the 9th Judicial District Equal Justice in the Courts Committee presented \u201cThe Power of Unity: Honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage.\u201d The event recognized award recipient Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department and David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator during an event at the Supreme and County Court of Westchester in White Plains, NY on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Lorenzo Ciniglio\/OCA \"\"(L-R) David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator, Joseph A. Zayas, Chief Administrative Judge, and Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department attend the 9th Judicial District Equal Justice in the Courts Committee\u2019s \u201cThe Power of Unity: Honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage.\u201d The event recognized award recipient Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department and David Imamura, Westchester County Legislator during an event at the Supreme and County Court of Westchester in White Plains, NY on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Lorenzo Ciniglio\/OCA<\/p>\n

Ninth Judicial District Administrative Judge Ann Minihan welcomed attendees to the event, highlighting the judiciary\u2019s ongoing commitment to equal justice and the importance of elevating diverse voices within the courts.<\/p>\n

Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas presented Justice Wan with the Trailblazer in Judicial Excellence Award. Legislator Imamura received the Excellence in Legislative Leadership Award from New York Court of Claims Judge and Westchester County Acting Supreme Court Justice Walter Rivera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Ninth Judicial District \u2014 encompassing New York City\u2019s northern suburbs in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[86484,99968,18869,99969,99970,9872,86545,99971,9,24,55,54,1181,99972,56,2611,99973,99974,1628,99975],"class_list":["post-256552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-aapi-heritage-month","tag-asian-american-pacific-islander","tag-community-leadership","tag-david-imamura","tag-equal-justice-in-the-courts","tag-immigrant-rights","tag-judicial-diversity","tag-lillian-wan","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-new-york-courts","tag-ninth-judicial-district","tag-ny","tag-public-service","tag-representation-in-government","tag-trailblazer-awards","tag-westchester-county","tag-white-plains-event"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}