For Immediate Release, August 1, 2014
SABA NORTH AMERICA and saba-DC APPLAUD THE NOMINATION
OF AMIT PRIYAVADAN MEHTA FOR THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America) and the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. (SABA-DC) applaud President Obama’s nomination of Amit Priyavadan Mehta to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Amit is an established and respected leader in the South Asian legal community. We are extremely excited that another deserving South Asian has been nominated to the judiciary,” pronounced Mansi Shah, President of SABA North America. Shuchi Batra, President of SABA-DC, added, “SABA-DC is very proud that President Obama has chosen to nominate our member Amit P. Mehta to the distinguished bench of the District Court for the District of Columbia.”
SABA North America and SABA-DC both proudly endorsed Mr. Mehta for this position.
Amit Mehta 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. Mehta 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.
Mr. Mehta’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.
Mr. Mehta has also made community service a priority. He has 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. Mr. Mehta’s dedication to seek justice through the vindication of the factually innocent demonstrates the commitment he would bring to the bench once confirmed.
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SABA North America (formerly NASABA/North American South Asian Bar Association) is a voluntary bar organization and serves as an umbrella organization to 25 chapters in the United States and Canada. SABA North America is a recognized forum for professional growth and advancement for South Asian attorneys in North America and seeks to protect the rights and liberties of the South Asian community across the continent. Learn more at www.sabanorthamerica.com.
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.
Neil C. Maskeri
Vice President of Public Relations
South Asian Bar Association of North America
215-255-9180
publicrelations@sabanorthamerica.com
www.sabanorthamerica.com