Judges and Judiciary
Aug. 20, 2002
Korean-American Gets Bench Nod
LOS ANGELES - The first ever Korean-American woman judge in California was appointed Friday to the Los Angeles Superior Court. Tammy Chung Ryu, who is a deputy attorney general, said her selection by Gov. Gray Davis was a milestone not just for herself but also for the Korean-American community.
Tammy Chung Ryu, who is a deputy attorney general, said her selection by Gov. Gray Davis was a milestone not just for herself but also for the Korean-American community.
"I'm really excited, not just for myself and my family and friends, who have been waiting for a while, but for the Korean-American community," Ryu said Friday. "I'm the first Korean-American woman in the state and the third in the country [to be appointed]."
Ryu becomes only the second sitting Korean-American judge in the state. The first was Judge Mark Kim, who sits in the Superior Court in Long Beach.
It was Davis' second history-making judicial appointment in a week. Last Tuesday, the governor appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline H. Nguyen as the first Vietnamese-American state court judge.
Nguyen, 37, also will sit in Los Angeles Superior Court. Ryu said the two women are friends and offered each other support during the application process.
"She's a great person and an excellent attorney," Ryu said of Nguyen. "The governor did a great thing in appointing her. I'm so happy that we got appointed in the same week and will start about the same time."
"It's a great day for women, in general, for obvious reasons," Ryu said of her own appointment. "I hope this will pave the way, especially for Korean-American women, to seek greater achievements."
Ryu, 41, of Lomita, is a supervising deputy attorney general in the health, education and welfare section of the state attorney general's office, which she joined in 1988.
Ryu successfully defended the Department of Health Services against consolidated claims brought by 200 hospitals that were denied Medi-Cal claims totaling more than $14 million. The state won the case on all major claims following a 45-day trial.
A criminal courtroom assignment would be new to her, but she's ready, Ryu said.
"I do not have criminal law experience. My work with the attorney general's office has been exclusively civil," Ryu said. "I have been preparing for a criminal court assignment because that is usually where new judges start. I look forward to new challenges."
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Ryu was 10 when her father's work brought the family to Guam. After five years, her family moved to California.
Ryu and Nguyen have several other parallels. Both are founding members of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, attended UCLA, though at different times, and are active in their ethnic communities.
"We knew that the appointments, if they happened, would be historical for our communities," Ryu said. "There's a lot of responsibility. If you're not appointed, it's a reflection on yourself and your community."
Ryu earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her law degree from UCLA.
She participates in the Korean American Family Service Center and the Korean American Coalition.
In 1999, Attorney General Bill Lockyer appointed her as a liaison to the Korean-American community in California.
Ryu also is a past president of the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California. For the State Bar, Ryu served two years as a member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation.
Her appointment fills the vacancy left by Judge Jerold Krieger, who died earlier this year of cancer.
Ryu, whose yearly salary as a judge will be $139,476, said she probably will start the first or second week in September and believes she will be assigned to a misdemeanor courtroom.
Leslie Simmons
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