Lucy H. Koh
Encyclopedia
Lucy Haeran Koh is a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
.
, Koh earned an A.B.
from Harvard College
in 1990 and a law degree
from Harvard Law School
in 1993.
as a Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow. From 1994 until 1997, Koh worked for the United States Department of Justice
, first as a Special Counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs (1994-1996) and then as a Special Assistant to the United States Deputy Attorney General
(1996-1997).
From 1997 until 2000, Koh served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. From 2000 until 2002, she worked as a Senior Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
, a Palo Alto, California
law firm. From 2002 until 2008, Koh worked as a litigation partner at the Silicon Valley
office of the law firm McDermott Will & Emery
representing technology companies in patent
, trade secret
and commercial civil matters.
In January 2008, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
appointed Koh a judge on the Superior Court of California for Santa Clara County
, a position she held until becoming a U.S. district judge in 2010.
and Dianne Feinstein
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
vacated by Judge Ronald M. Whyte
, who assumed senior status
in 2009. On March 4, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee
voted to move her nomination to the full Senate.
The Senate confirmed Koh in a 90-0 vote on June 7, 2010. She received her commission on June 9, 2010.
. She is the first Asian American United States District Court Judge in the Northern District of California, the first District Court Judge of Korean descent in the United States, and the second Korean American federal judge, after Herbert Choy
of the Ninth Circuit
.
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
.
Early life and education
Born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Koh earned an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1990 and a law degree
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1993.
Professional career
From 1993 until 1994, Koh worked for the United States Senate Committee on the JudiciaryUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
as a Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow. From 1994 until 1997, Koh worked for the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, first as a Special Counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs (1994-1996) and then as a Special Assistant to the United States Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General
United States Deputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. In the United States federal government, the Deputy Attorney General oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Justice, and may act as Attorney General during the...
(1996-1997).
From 1997 until 2000, Koh served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of California. From 2000 until 2002, she worked as a Senior Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is a law firm in the United States that specializes in business, securities, and intellectual property law. The firm's Chairman, Larry Sonsini, is well known as an attorney and advisor to technology companies....
, a Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
law firm. From 2002 until 2008, Koh worked as a litigation partner at the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
office of the law firm McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery LLP, also known by its initials, MWE, was founded in 1934 and is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago. It is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the United States and one of the 20 largest in the world...
representing technology companies in patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
, trade secret
Trade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
and commercial civil matters.
In January 2008, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
appointed Koh a judge on the Superior Court of California for Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, a position she held until becoming a U.S. district judge in 2010.
Nomination to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
On January 20, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Koh on the recommendation of California Senators Barbara BoxerBarbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
and Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
vacated by Judge Ronald M. Whyte
Ronald M. Whyte
Ronald M. Whyte is a United States federal judge in San Jose, California.Born in Pomona, California, Whyte earned an A.B. in Mathematics from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1964, and a J.D. degree from the USC Gould School of Law in Los Angeles, California in 1967.Whyte was in...
, who assumed senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
in 2009. On March 4, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
voted to move her nomination to the full Senate.
The Senate confirmed Koh in a 90-0 vote on June 7, 2010. She received her commission on June 9, 2010.
Personal
Koh is married to Stanford law professor Mariano-Florentino CuéllarMariano-Florentino Cuéllar
Mariano-Florentino "Tino" Cuéllar is an American lawyer, academic, and former official in the Clinton and Obama administrations. He is an expert in administrative law, international security, and the law of public health and safety. He is currently Professor and Deane F...
. She is the first Asian American United States District Court Judge in the Northern District of California, the first District Court Judge of Korean descent in the United States, and the second Korean American federal judge, after Herbert Choy
Herbert Choy
Herbert Young Cho Choy was the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States.- Background :...
of the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
.