NCJW Supports Lucy Koh. Here’s why:
Judge Lucy H. Koh has served as a US District Court Judge for the Northern District of California since 2010, the first Korean-American district judge and a position to which she was confirmed unanimously by the US Senate. Prior to her confirmation as a federal judge, Judge Koh worked in private practice, gaining expertise in patent, trade secret, and commercial civil litigation, and spent seven years working for the US Department of Justice. Judge Koh began her legal career as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow for the US Senate Judiciary Committee. She received her JD from Harvard Law School and her BA, magna cum laude, from Harvard University. If confirmed, Judge Koh would be the first Korean-American woman to serve as a federal appellate judge and only the third woman from the AAPI community to serve on any circuit court.
Judge Lucy H. Koh’s stance on important issues:
Census:
Judge Koh was part of a unanimous three-judge panel ruling that the Trump administration’s plan to exclude non-citizens from apportionment data after the 2020 US Census violated the Constitution and federal statutes. She also issued an injunction against the Trump administration’s plans to unlawfully end counting for the 2020 Census prematurely.
COVID-19:
Judge Koh denied a request for a preliminary injunction against California’s restrictions on large at-home gatherings to address the spread of COVID-19.
Diversity in the Workplace:
While a student at Harvard Law School, Judge Koh focused much of her research and advocacy on calling for more minorities and women in hiring and academia. In 1989, she organized a rally to promote the hiring of female and minority faculty at Harvard and she continued her advocacy on this issue throughout law school.
Immigrant Rights:
As a law student, Judge Koh represented Central American asylum seekers and low-income tenants before local housing authorities.
Worker’s Rights:
As a judge, Koh’s rulings have protected workers from anti-competitive and wage-suppression policies. In 2012, she ruled in favor of workers from several tech companies whose employers were conspiring to hold down salaries by agreeing not to hire each other’s workers. She denied the companies’ motion to dismiss the case and rejected an initial settlement offer for being too low and not giving a large enough share to the workers affected.
Judge Lucy H. Koh’s experience and education:
Experience:
Judge Lucy H. Koh has served as a US District Court Judge for the Northern District of California since 2010, and served as a California Superior Court Judge for Santa Clara County prior to her current position. She was a partner in the Palo Alto, California office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and worked as a senior associate in the Palo Alto, California office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Before her time in private practice, Judge Koh spent seven years working for the US Department of Justice as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General, and Special Counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs. She began her career as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow for the US Senate Judiciary Committee.
Education and Recognitions
Judge Koh received her BA, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and JD from Harvard Law School. Among several recognitions, she received the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis J. Freeh Award for Demonstrated Excellence in Prosecuting a Major Fraud Case, the Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Mark T. Banner Award from the American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section.
Judicial Temperament:
Throughout her time working with the courts, Judge Koh has presided over 19 cases to verdict/judgment, including 14 jury trials. She has worked on issues ranging from patent rights, privacy in the digital age, and worker’s rights. When President Obama first nominated Koh to the United State’s Court of Appeals in 2016, he described her as “first-rate jurist with unflagging integrity and evenhandedness.” While Koh never received a vote in the Senate, she is widely regarded as a fair, independent, and qualified judge based on her time as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.
Community and Pro Bono Work:
During law school, Judge Koh interned at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. After graduating law school and while working in Washington, DC, Judge Koh tutored Vietnamese elementary school students and helped to organize citizenship drives and provide assistance to lawful permanent residents completing naturalization applications. Since joining the bench in 2008 (appointed to California Superior Court by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger), she has volunteered much of her time serving as a judge at special court sessions organized for the homeless and homeless veterans as well as volunteering at many charities benefitting the hungry and the homeless. She also mentors local high school and college students, and frequently volunteers to judge mock trial, moot court, and speech competitions.