The Civil Rights Committee was formed shortly after the founding of NAPABA in 1989. The Committee has addressed legislative and policy issues on issues such as the Wards Cove Cannery Workers, certification of court interpreters, immigrant rights, and affirmative action. NAPABA became an important national voice on legally related issues both for (Asian Pacific American) APA communities that lacked an organized APA legal presence and for APA lawyers seeking a greater voice in the legal system.  Furthermore, the Committee considers the resolutions offered by other minority national bar associations on issues of common interest, which are then circulated to the NAPABA Board for approval before the May meeting of the Coalition of Bars of Color and used as the basis for lobbying Congress, the White House, and other government bodies. The Committee also inform NAPABA's delegate to the ABA's House of Delegates on issues before that body in August. The Committee is an important tool for activist lawyers to share experiences and to plan civil rights oriented panels at the NAPABA Annual Convention.