Kenneth K. Lee
Kenneth K. Lee | |
---|---|
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
Assumed office June 12, 2019 | |
Appointed by | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Stephen Reinhardt |
Personal details | |
Born | Lee Kiyul August 30, 1975 Seoul, South Korea |
Education | Cornell University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 이기열 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | I Gi Yeol |
McCune–Reischauer | I Ki Yŏl |
Kenneth Kiyul Lee (Korean: 이기열;[1] born August 30, 1975)[2] is a South Korean-born American lawyer and jurist who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Early life and education
Lee was born in 1975 in
After high school, Lee studied government at Cornell University, where he wrote for the conservative and libertarian campus newspaper The Cornell Review.[3] He graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Lee then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 2000 with a Juris Doctor magna cum laude.[5][6][7]
Early legal career
After graduating from law school, Lee served as a
In 2005, Lee served as a
Lee has litigated consumer
Federal judicial service
On October 10, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Lee to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[6] Both California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris announced their opposition to his nomination.[10] On November 13, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Lee to the seat vacated by Judge Stephen Reinhardt, who died on March 29, 2018.[11]
On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President under
On January 30, 2019, President Trump indicated that he would renominate Lee to a Ninth Circuit vacancy.[12] On February 6, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[13] On March 13, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[14] During the hearing, he was questioned about college writings covering AIDS, political correctness, and feminism. He apologized for some of the writings, saying he regretted them and was embarrassed by them.[15] The Wall Street Journal editorial board responded to the questioning about Lee's college writings: "...what Mr. Lee wrote in college is of no relevance to how he’d behave as a jurist. ... What liberals really don’t like is that Mr. Lee dissented from progressive doctrines on racial preferences, among other issues."[16]
On April 4, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[17] On May 14, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 50–45 vote.[18] On May 15, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 52–45 vote.[19] He received his judicial commission on June 12, 2019.[20] Lee is the nation's first Article III judge who was born in the Republic of Korea and the second Korean American to serve on the Ninth Circuit.[21][22]
In August 2020, Lee was part of a three-judge panel who held that California's "
Memberships
Lee is listed as an expert for the Federalist Society and has been a speaker and panelist on the topics of Food & Drug Law, Class Action lawsuits, and the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "美 연방항소법원에 또 한인판사". Korea Times (in Korean). May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Voruganti, Harsh (May 15, 2019). "Kenneth Lee – Nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit". The Vetting Room. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Severino, Carrie Campbell (March 4, 2019). "Smears Against Judicial Nominees Continue". National Review. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Mullich, Joe (2015). "A quintessential American story" (PDF). Super Lawyers Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2020 – via Jenner & Block.
- ^ "Kenneth K. Lee – Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire" (PDF).
- ^ National Archives. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e "Lee, Kenneth Kiyul". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 27, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Severino, Carrie Campbell (October 10, 2018). "Who is Ken Lee?". National Review. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Most Influential Minority Attorneys: Kenneth K. Lee". Los Angeles Business Journal. January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ Wire, Sarah D. (October 11, 2018). "California senators will try to block White House judicial nominees for the 9th Circuit - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- ^ "Twenty Six Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, November 13, 2018
- National Archives.
- ^ "Twelve Nominations Sent to the Senate", The White House, February 6, 2019
- ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for March 13, 2019
- ^ Levine, Marianne (March 13, 2019). "Trump judicial pick expresses regret for college writings". Politico. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Kenneth Kiyul Lee's White Privilege". The Wall Street Journal. March 4, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – April 4, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
- ^ On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Kenneth Kiyul Lee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit), United States Senate, May 14, 2019
- ^ On the Nomination (Confirmation Kenneth Kiyul Lee, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit), United States Senate, May 15, 2019
- ^ Kenneth K. Lee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Tae-hee, Lee (December 11, 2018). "Korean-American judges gaining presence in US". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Senate Confirms L.A. Attorney Kenneth Kiyul Lee to Seat on Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals", United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, May 15, 2019
- ^ Romo, Vanessa (August 14, 2020). "Federal Appeals Court Throws Out California Ban On Large-Capacity Gun Magazines". NPR.org. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Federal court throws out California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines". USA TODAY. Associated Press. August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
External links
- Kenneth K. Lee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.