U.S. Senate Confirms Lucy Koh to the Ninth Circuit
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Lucy H. Koh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, making her the first Korean American woman to serve as a federal appellate judge. Koh has served on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California since 2010.
President Biden nominated Koh in September 2021. The below is excerpted from the White House announcement.
Judge Lucy H. Koh has served as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of California since 2010. Prior to her confirmation as a federal judge, Judge Koh served as a California Superior Court Judge for Santa Clara County from 2008 to 2010. From 2002 to 2008, she worked as a partner in the Palo Alto, California office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where she specialized in patent, trade secret, and commercial civil litigation. From 2000 to 2002, she 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 U.S. Department of Justice. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California from 1997 to 2000; as Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General from 1996 to 1997; and as Special Counsel in the Office of Legislative Affairs from 1994 to 1996. She was awarded, among several recognitions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis J. Freeh Award for Demonstrated Excellence in Prosecuting a Major Fraud Case. Judge Koh began her legal career as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 1994.
Judge Koh received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1993, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 1990.
