Kathryn Doi Todd Explained

Kathryn Doi Todd
Office:	Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Two
Termstart:	August 18, 2000
Termend:	January 2013
Appointer:	Governor Gray Davis
Predecessor:	John Zebrowski
Birth Name:	Kathryn Asako Doi
Birth Date:	14 January 1942
Birth Place:	Los Angeles, California
Relatives:	Mia Doi Todd, daughter
Alma Mater:	Stanford University (AB) Loyola Marymount University (JD)

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]}

Biography

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. 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.^{[4] [5]} From 1971 to 1978, Todd was an attorney in Little Tokyo. 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.^{[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. 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

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

See also

See main article: List of Asian American jurists.

• 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)

External links

• Official biography of Kathryn Doi Todd. California Court of Appeal, Second District.
• Kathryn Doi Todd profile on Judgepedia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Division Two: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd. May 23, 2022 . Judicial Council of California.
2. Web site: Kathryn Doi Todd Retires From Court of Appeal. metnews.com. October 21, 2016.
3. Web site: Japanese American Internee Data File: Kathryn Doi. National Archives and Records Administration. August 17, 2019.
4. 2014 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon: Kathryn Doi Todd. Commission on Women in the Profession, American Bar Association. August 12, 2014. 18. September 30, 2017.
5. News: Big Game Show, Casting '61 Gaities Completed. September 30, 2017. The Stanford Daily. 13. October 10, 1961. 140. Dancers in the production include...Kathy Doi.
6. News: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd: Redefining Possibilities. Lan. Lawrence. July 24, 2012. Discover Nikkei. October 21, 2016.
7. Web site: Talk: Justice Kathryn Doi Todd '63, First Asian American Woman Judge. Stanford Law School. September 30, 2017. November 19, 2008.
8. Judge Kathryn Todd, She's Courting Success. Loyola Lawyer. Summer 1980. 6. September 30, 2017.
9. Web site: Press release: Justice Todd Retires From Second District Court of Appeal. courts.ca.gov. January 22, 2013. October 21, 2016.
10. Web site: Doi Todd Receives Margaret Brent Award. rafu.com. August 21, 2014 . October 21, 2016.
11. News: In a Foreign Land. Los Angeles Times. September 1, 2002. Steve Hochman.
12. Mia Doi Todd Biography. Billboard. September 30, 2017.