AFJ Letter of Support for Judge Myong Joun
November 14, 2022
The Honorable Richard Durbin
Chairman
Senate Judiciary Committee
Dear Chairman Durbin:
On behalf of the Alliance for Justice (AFJ), a national association representing more than 150 public interest and civil rights organizations, I write to support the confirmation of Judge Myong Joun to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A veteran who has dedicated his career to criminal defense and civil rights and who has nearly a decade of experience on the bench, Judge Joun will bring vast experience and perspective to this seat.
Judge Joun, an immigrant born in South Korea, has dedicated his career to advancing justice and advocating for civil rights. Before entering the legal field, he served his county as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard for six years. He earned his JD from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and then began his legal career at the Law Office of Howard Friedman, P.C. in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he represented victims of discrimination in federal civil rights litigation and in disability rights cases. In 2007, Judge Joun opened his own solo practice where he specialized in criminal defense and civil litigation in both federal and state courts. He also represented indigent clients in courts across Massachusetts on assignment from the Suffolk Lawyers for Justice, Inc, where he volunteered as a bar advocate. With such remarkable experience as an advocate, it comes as no surprise that he earned a Legal Worker Award from the Mass Defense Committee of the National Lawyers Guild and was named a Super Lawyer in Massachusetts by Thompson Reuters in 2014.
Judge Joun will make an excellent choice for the District of Massachusetts given his deep ties to the state and his commitment to justice for all. In 2014, Governor Deval Patrick appointed him to the Boston Municipal Court, where he presided over approximately 140 trials ranging from criminal law to worker’s rights to landlord and tenant disputes. His experience adjudicating a variety of issues has more than prepared him to serve on the federal bench.
Not only does Judge Joun have impeccable experience advocating for civil rights and administering justice on the bench, but he is also deeply involved in the Boston legal community and beyond. He is the Chair of the Boston Municipal Court’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee as well as a member of the Technology Committee and the Forms Committee. He is also a member of the Judicial Institute Program Committee on Poverty and involved on numerous committees of the Massachusetts Trial Court. In addition, from 2003 to 2005 he served as President of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts and is still a member of that organization.
Judge Joun would make an excellent judge for the District of Massachusetts. He would bring a wealth of experiences – that of an immigrant, a veteran and a judge – to the bench. I urge you to expeditiously confirm Judge Myong Joun to this seat.
Sincerely,
Rakim Brooks
President, Alliance for Justice