The First Fifteen: How Asian American Women Became Federal Judges

In 1998, an Asian woman first joined the ranks of federal judges with lifetime appointments. It took ten years for the second Asian woman to be appointed. Since then, however, over a dozen more Asian women have received lifetime federal judicial appointments.

This book tells the stories of the first fifteen. In the process, it recounts remarkable tales of Asian women overcoming adversity and achieving the American dream, despite being the daughters of a Chinese garment worker, Japanese Americans held in internment camps during World War II, Vietnamese refugees, and penniless Indian immigrants. Yet The First Fifteen also explores how far Asian Americans and women still have to go before the federal judiciary reflects America as a whole.

In a candid series of interviews, these judges reflect upon the personal and professional experiences that led them to this distinguished position, as well as the nerve-wracking political process of being nominated and confirmed for an Article III judgeship. By sharing their diverse stories, The First Fifteen paints a nuanced portrait of how Asian American women are beginning to have a voice in determining American justice.

Author: Susan Oki Mollway
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Published: 09/30/2021
Pages: 270
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.98h x 5.83w x 0.87d
ISBN13: 9781978824515
ISBN10: 1978824513
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Lawyers & Judges
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | Asian American Studies & Pacific
- Law | Courts | General

About the Author
SUSAN OKI MOLLWAY has been a federal judge in the District of Hawaii for over twenty years, serving as the chief judge of the district from 2009 to 2015. Before entering the judiciary, she graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then worked as a civil litigator and later earned an LL.M. from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.