Kathryn Doi Todd (born January 14, 1942) is a retired associate justice of the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two, having been appointed to the post by Governor Gray Davis in 2000.[1][2]

Kathryn Doi Todd
Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Two
In office
August 18, 2000 – January 2013
Appointed byGovernor Gray Davis
Preceded byJohn Zebrowski
Personal details
Born
Kathryn Asako Doi

(1942-01-14) January 14, 1942 (age 82)
Los Angeles, California
RelativesMia Doi Todd, daughter
Alma materStanford University (AB)
Loyola Marymount University (JD)

Biography

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Kathryn Asako Doi was born in Los Angeles, California, and is of Japanese descent. She was interned at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center[3] as an infant after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.[1] After receiving her diploma from Los Angeles High School in 1959, she earned an AB in history from Stanford University in 1963 and a JD from Loyola Law School in 1970, where was Order of the Coif and editor of the Loyola Law Review.[1][4][5] From 1971 to 1978, Todd was an attorney in Little Tokyo.[1] She was a founder member of the Japanese American Bar Association (JABA).[6]

In 1978, Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the Los Angeles County Municipal Court, making her the first female Asian American judge in the United States.[1][7][8] In 1981, Brown elevated Todd to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position she would hold until when Brown's former chief of staff, Governor Gray Davis, appointed her to the California Second District Court of Appeal, Division Two as of August 18, 2000.[1] Doi retired from the bench in January 2013.[9]

In 2014 she received the Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association.[10]

Personal life

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On June 16, 1974, Doi married sculptor Michael C. Todd, with whom she has one daughter, Mia, who is a singer and songwriter.[1][11][12] The couple divorced while she was on the Superior Court.

See also

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  • John F. Aiso - first Japanese American judge in the continental U.S. (1957)
  • Herbert Choy - first Asian American U.S. federal judge (1971)
  • Masaji Marumoto - first Asian American territorial court justice (1956)
  • Delbert E. Wong - first Chinese American judge in the continental U.S. (1959)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Division Two: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd". Judicial Council of California. May 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Kathryn Doi Todd Retires From Court of Appeal". metnews.com. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  3. ^ "Japanese American Internee Data File: Kathryn Doi". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  4. ^ "2014 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon: Kathryn Doi Todd" (PDF). Commission on Women in the Profession, American Bar Association: 18. August 12, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  5. ^ "Big Game Show, Casting '61 Gaities Completed". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 140, no. 13. October 10, 1961. Retrieved September 30, 2017. Dancers in the production include...Kathy Doi
  6. ^ Lan, Lawrence (July 24, 2012). "Justice Kathryn Doi Todd: Redefining Possibilities". Discover Nikkei. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "Talk: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd '63, First Asian American Woman Judge". Stanford Law School. November 19, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  8. ^ "Judge Kathryn Todd, She's Courting Success" (PDF). Loyola Lawyer: 6. Summer 1980. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "Press release: Justice Todd Retires From Second District Court of Appeal". courts.ca.gov. January 22, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Doi Todd Receives Margaret Brent Award". rafu.com. August 21, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Steve Hochman (September 1, 2002). "In a Foreign Land". Los Angeles Times.
  12. ^ "Mia Doi Todd Biography". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
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Legal offices
Preceded by
John Zebrowski
Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Two
2000–2013
Succeeded by