Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

Lucy Koh would be the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal circuit court

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor today in support of the confirmation of Judge Lucy Haeran Koh to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Judge Koh would be the first Korean American woman to serve as a federal appellate judge and the second AAPI woman to serve on the Ninth Circuit from California. The Senate voted 50-45 to confirm Judge Koh.

WATCH: Senator Padilla Speaks on Senate Floor in Support of Judge Lucy Koh

Key excerpts:

• Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination of Judge Lucy Koh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Koh is an outstanding legal thinker and a trailblazing public servant. Her commitment to equal justice for all has earned her support on both sides of the aisle.
• I know the people of California, the Ninth Circuit, and the country writ large will benefit from her dedication, her integrity, and compassion as a circuit court judge.
• In many ways, the story of Judge Koh brings to the bench the epitome of the American Dream. The daughter of Korean immigrants who fled communism and dictatorship in search of a better life, Judge Koh was born in Washington, DC and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. And growing up, Judge Koh studied at public schools and was no stranger to poverty and discrimination.
• If confirmed, Judge Koh will become the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal circuit court. Now as the first Latino to represent California here in this Senate, I know the importance of diversity at all levels of government, and that includes the judiciary. Our country is stronger and fairer when we are guided by the voices and experiences of all of our people.

Padilla introduced Koh during her confirmation hearing and Judge Koh advanced out of the Judiciary Committee with a bipartisan vote of 13-9. Within weeks of being sworn in to the Senate, Senator Padilla established a Judicial Evaluation Commission that is approximately 70 percent attorneys of color and a majority women to evaluate candidates for federal judicial vacancies in California. Working with his Commission over the last several months, Senator Padilla worked closely with the Biden administration in advising and supporting the nomination of Judge Koh to serve on the Ninth Circuit.

Remarks as delivered are available below and video of the full remarks is available here:

Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination of Judge Lucy Koh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Judge Koh is an outstanding legal thinker and a trailblazing public servant.

Her commitment to equal justice for all has earned her support on both sides of the aisle.

From her first judicial appointment by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, to her unanimous Senate confirmation to serve as a federal district judge in California, to her strong bipartisan advancement recently from the Senate Judiciary Committee for this appointment, Judge Koh has a reputation for excellence that stretches far and wide.

She built this reputation over the course of a stellar legal career that started right here in this Senate, as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

She then spent seven years with the United States Department of Justice, earning numerous accolades for her work, including an FBI award for excellence in prosecuting major fraud.

From the Department of Justice, Judge Koh made her way to California, to Silicon Valley specifically, where she made a name for herself as an expert litigator on intellectual property cases.

In 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger, as I mentioned, appointed her to the California Superior Court.

Just two years later, President Obama nominated Judge Koh to the federal district court bench, and she was confirmed UNANIMOUSLY by this Senate.

And in the decade since, Judge Koh has gone on to distinguish herself as a jurist.

She is well known, not only in her district, but across the country, as talented, thoughtful, smart, and fair.

This nomination is actually her second nomination to the Ninth Circuit.

In 2016, she was nominated and advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee at that time on a bipartisan basis, but unfortunately, never received a floor vote in this Senate.

But now that we have this vote scheduled, I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting to confirm Judge Koh on a strong bipartisan vote once again.

I know the people of California, the Ninth Circuit, and the country writ large will benefit from her dedication, her integrity, and compassion as a circuit court judge.

In many ways, the story of Judge Koh brings to the bench the epitome of the American Dream.

The daughter of Korean immigrants who fled communism and dictatorship in search of a better life, Judge Koh was born in Washington, DC and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. 

And growing up, Judge Koh studied at public schools and was no stranger to poverty and discrimination.

She spent weekends and summers working in her father’s small business.

And she was surrounded by the love and lessons of her immigrant family.

Now, these experiences all helped to shape the unique and needed perspectives that she now brings as a federal judge.

If confirmed, Judge Koh will become the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal circuit court.

Now as the first Latino to represent California here in this Senate, I know the importance of diversity at all levels of government, and that includes the judiciary.

Our country is stronger and fairer when we are guided by the voices and experiences of all of our people.

And while we have a lot of work to do to remake our justice system to better reflect the country that it serves, based on Judge Koh’s record, skill, intellect, and respect for the rule of law, her confirmation is a big step in helping us achieve that goal.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm her to the Ninth Circuit.

Thank you, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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