The History Of AAPI Judges On The Federal Bench And The Path Forward

As we wrap up Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Cowan Liebowitz & Latman looks back at the history of AAPI judges on the federal bench.

The first federal Asian American judge, Herbert Young Cho Choy, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1971. His appointment as a Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9^th Circuit was a testament to his resilience and determination. Judge Choy was not a stranger to making history. He was the only Asian American in his class at Harvard Law and became the first Korean American admitted to practice law in the United States.

: It wouldn't be until 1998, nearly 30 years later, that an Asian American woman reached the same milestone. Judge Susan Oki Mollway became the first AAPI woman nominated to the federal bench. Judge Mollway, having grown up in Hawaii, was surprised to learn that she was, in fact, the first Asian woman to serve as an Article III federal judge. She said that "surely by the