For Immediate Release, December 17, 2014
saba-DC APPLAUDS THE CONFIRMATION OF
AMIT PRIYAVADAN MEHTA
FOR THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. (“SABA-DC”) applauds the United States Senate’s confirmation of Amit Priyavadan Mehta to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He will be the first South Asian American to serve on the federal District Court for the District of Columbia.
Shuchi Batra, President of SABA-DC, added, “SABA-DC is thrilled that the Senate has confirmed our member Amit P. Mehta to the distinguished bench of the District Court for the District of Columbia. He will be an outstanding and fair-minded judge.” SABA-DC previously endorsed Amit for this position.
Amit has been a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP since 2010, where he represents clients in civil and criminal matters before state and federal courts. He rejoined the firm as counsel in 2007 after serving as a staff attorney for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 2002 to 2007. Prior to this, Amit worked as an associate at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP from 1999 to 2002, as a law clerk for Judge Susan P. Graber of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1998 to 1999, and as an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP from 1997 to 1998. He received his J.D. in 1997 from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. in 1993 from Georgetown University.
Amit’s experience is marked by high profile successes in difficult cases, including the civil and criminal defense of Dominique Strauss-Kahn against allegations of sexual abuse and the defense of the former president of the Salt Lake City Olympic bid committee against charges of fraud and racketeering. His years at the D.C. Public Defender Service gave him real-world insight into the daily challenges and disparities in economics, education, and opportunity experienced by disadvantaged communities, particularly for young minorities.
Amit has also made community service a priority. He served as a Director of Facilitating Leadership in Youth, a non-profit organization dedicated to after-school activities and mentoring for at-risk youth. He also served as the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.
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SABA-DC is a voluntary bar association dedicated to promoting the needs, concerns, and interests of the South Asian American legal community in the Washington, D.C. area. The organization reaches approximately 1,000 attorneys and jurists of South Asian origin in the Washington, D.C. area.