The Honorable Richard Y. Lee
Judge, Orange County Superior Court, Santa Ana
Background:
In August 2010, the Honorable Richard Y. Lee was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as a Superior Court Judge in Orange County, California. With his appointment, Judge Lee became the first and only Korean-American judge to serve in Orange County.
Judge Lee has served as a judge in a variety of capacities. Judge Lee currently presides over unlimited civil matters. He previously presided over criminal matters including felony and misdemeanor proceedings, juvenile delinquency matters and juvenile dependency matters. Judge Lee also served as the Supervising Judge of the West Justice Center from 2015 to 2018. In addition, Judge Lee previously presided over appellate matters as a judge on the Appellate Division of the Superior Court.
Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Lee worked for approximately 10 years as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. As an Assistant United States Attorney, Judge Lee prosecuted the full range of federal offenses. In addition, Judge Lee was a founding member of the then newly formed National Security Section. Judge Lee also worked as an employment litigator at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky, & Walker LLP and previously clerked for two Superior Court Judges in Los Angeles.
Judge Lee earned his law degree from the University of Southern California Law School and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.
Judge Lee has received numerous awards including the West Orange County Bar Association Franklin G. West Judge of the Year award and the Constitutional Rights Foundation James P. Gray Judge of the Year award.
Judge Lee is a member of the statewide Judicial Branch Access Ethics and Fairness Curriculum Committee and is a faculty lecturer to California judges on a variety of topics including ethics and New Judge Orientation.
Judge Lee currently serves or has served on the Orange County Superior Court’s Temporary Judge Committee, Technology Committee, Externship Committee, Executive Committee, Alternate Defense Steering Committee, Employee Appreciation Committee, and Supervising Judges’ Committee. In addition, Judge Lee sits on the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Judicial Advisory Board.
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