Judge Lucy H. Koh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. District Court Judge for the Greater Bay Area of California.
Washington, D.C. (June 7, 2010) – The U.S. Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed The Honorable Lucy H. Koh to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, making her the first Korean American U.S. District Court Judge in United States history and the first Asian Pacific American Article III judge in the 160-year history of the Northern District of California.
Magistrate Judge Edward M. Chen, whose nomination to the Northern District of California is still pending, was the first Asian Pacific American judge to serve on the court.
“This is a historic achievement for the Asian Pacific American community,” said Joseph J. Centeno, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. “The glaring absence of an Asian Pacific American Article III in the Northern District California for over 160 years makes Judge Koh’s confirmation very meaningful to our community.”
Judge Koh was appointed to the California Superior Court for Santa Clara County in January 2008 by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prior to her appointment, she was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery in Silicon Valley, where she specialized in intellectual property and commercial litigation.
Judge Koh began her legal career in the public sector, serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles in the major frauds section, and in several positions at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., including Special Assistant to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General. Then FBI Director Louis Freeh gave Judge Koh an award for prosecuting a $54 million securities fraud case. She also worked on the staff of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
“It is exciting to see Judge Koh confirmed as the first female Korean American Article III Judge in the United States,” said Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center. “Women and Asian Pacific Americans have long been underrepresented among federal judges, and five out of the nine Asian Pacific Americans the President has nominated to serve as federal judges have been women. It is heartening to see that the President is committed to increasing diversity on the federal bench.”
Judge Koh’s nomination received broad bipartisan support, including support from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, and Viet Dinh, former George W. Bush Administration Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy.
AAJC and NAPABA congratulate Judge Koh upon her historic confirmation. The organizations thank President Obama for nominating her and Senator Barbara Boxer for recommending her.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 63 local Asian Pacific American bar associations.
Honorable Lucy Koh is not the first American of Korean ancestry to be U.S. District Court Judge in United States history. That honor should go to Honorable Herbert Young Cho Choy who served from April 23, 1971 to October 3, 1984 on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was appointed by President Richard Nixon. Not only was the first Korean, but also the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge. He is also recognized as the first American of Korean ancestry to practice law. Please review this fact… I hope you make this correction for your future articles.