APABA Congratulates Judge Jacqueline Nguyen and Dolly Gee on Their Nominations to the U.S. District Court

July 31, 2009

President Obama has nominated Judge Jacqueline Nguyen and Dolly Gee to United States District Court judgeships in the Central District of California.  If confirmed, they would become the first Asian Pacific American female judges to serve on the District Court of the Central District of California.

Judge Jacqueline Nguyen is currently a Superior Court Judge for the County of Los Angeles, a position to which she was appointed in August 2002. Judge Nguyen received her undergraduate degree from Occidental College in 1987 and her law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1991. From 1991 to 1995, Nguyen worked in private practice where she specialized in civil litigation. From 1995 until August 2002, Nguyen was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California. During her tenure in that office, she served as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section. Judge Nguyen was rated well-qualified by the ABA.

Judge Nguyen served as APABA’s second president, during the 1999-2000 term, and is a current member of the APABA Advisory Board.  If confirmed, Judge Nguyen would be the nation’s first-ever Vietnamese American to serve as an Article III judge. 

Since 1986, Dolly Gee has been Partner at Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP, where she specializes in labor and employment law.  She also presides over disputes as an arbitrator with the Kaiser Permanente Independent Arbitration System, has served as an election monitor for the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, and was appointed to serve on the Federal Service Impasse Panel.  Dolly’s numerous contributions to the community include service on the boards of the Western Center on Law and Poverty and the California Women’s Law Center.  Dolly has received NAPABA’s highest honor, the Trailblazer Award, APABA’s President’s Award, as well as numerous pro bono service awards and the “Super Lawyer” distinction from Los Angeles Magazine.  She also is a Founding Member of APABA.