Statement on Judge Lucy Koh at Senate Confirmation Hearing

Statement

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today issued the following statement on Judge Lucy Koh, President Obama's nominee to be a U.S District Court Judge for the Northern District of California, at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Boxer recommended Judge Koh to the President following a thorough interview and vetting process by the Senator's judicial advisory committee for the Northern District.

I am honored to be here today to introduce Judge Lucy Koh, who has been nominated to the Northern District Court of California.

I would like to congratulate her and her family on this important day.

She is very well respected by her colleagues in the California legal community and will make an outstanding addition to the federal bench.

Judge Koh is the daughter of two proud parents who risked much to come to this country and provide for their children. Her mother escaped from North Korea at the age of 10 by walking for two weeks into South Korea -- a dangerous trek that required her to hide from North Korean soldiers along the way. Her father fought against the Communists in the Korean War and later immigrated to the United States.

He worked as a busboy and a waiter in Maryland while attending Johns Hopkins University, later bringing the rest of the family here. Judge Koh is the first member of her family to be born in the United States.

Judge Koh's family then moved to Mississippi, where her mother taught at Alcorn State University -- the nation's first historically African-American land grant college. During this time, Judge Koh was bused to a predominantly African-American public school where many of her classmates lived in poverty. Her childhood experiences provided inspiration for her to pursue a career in the law and work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund during law school.

Judge Koh attended Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges as a Harry S. Truman Scholar, graduating magna cum laude. After college, she attended Harvard Law School, where she was awarded Best Brief in the school's moot court competition.

Judge Koh has had a diverse career in the practice of law that makes her uniquely qualified to serve as a federal judge.

She has worked in policy, serving as a fellow for a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee and in policy positions at the Justice Department.

She served as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where she handled financial fraud, narcotics, public corruption and violent crime cases. She received awards and recognition for her work as a prosecutor, including a Sustained Superior Performance Award, and an award from then-FBI Director Louis B. Freeh for her prosecution of a $54 million securities fraud case.

She was a litigator in private practice prior to becoming a state court judge. During her time in private practice, Judge Koh worked on complex litigation matters involving securities and intellectual property, primarily appearing in federal court.

She led the trial and appellate team in the landmark patent case In Re Seagate, where a new standard for willful patent infringement was established for the first time in 24 years.

With these credentials, it is easy to see why Governor Schwarzenegger appointed her to the Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2008, where she once again excelled as a judge, handling a docket of both criminal and civil cases.

Governor Schwarzenegger said, "Simply put, Judge Koh exemplifies the very best of the legal profession and will be an excellent federal judge."

Here are the words of Judge Catherine Gallagher, who was the presiding judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court when Judge Koh was appointed to the bench -- "Judge Koh is universally held in high esteem and well-liked … She has a reputation for being prepared, thoughtful, intellectually honest, and fair. She has demonstrated exemplary judicial temperament."

Here are the words of Santa Clara District Attorney Delores Carr -- "[P]rosecutors appear regularly before Judge Koh. Judge Koh has an excellent reputation for being fair and impartial to both sides … [she] is respectful to victims of crime, defendants, witnesses and lawyers, and is careful and deliberate in her decisions."

Like her career, the support for Judge Koh is diverse. In addition to the above, Judge Koh is endorsed by wide group of supporters, such as Former Massachusetts Republican Governor William Weld, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, Former Bush Office of Legal Policy Director Viet Dinh, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Justice Center. I would like to submit a group of the letters of recommendation we have received in support of Judge Koh for the record.

Judge Koh's nomination is also historic. If confirmed, she would be the first Korean-American in U.S. history to serve as a federal district court judge.

I am proud to be here today with Judge Koh and the other outstanding nominees.

I close by congratulating Judge Koh and the other nominees and their families, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly to confirm these nominees to the federal bench. Thank you.

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