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Dolly Gee

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For the American banker, see Dolly Gee (banker).
Dolly Gee
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 31, 2024
Preceded byPhilip S. Gutierrez
Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2010
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byGeorge P. Schiavelli
Personal details
Born (1959-07-01) July 1, 1959 (age 65)[1]
Hawthorne, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA, JD)
Chinese name
Chinese朱美瑜[citation needed]
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhū Měi Yú
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingZyu1 Mei5 Jyu4

Dolly Maizie Gee (born July 1, 1959) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Early life and education

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Gee was born in Hawthorne, California, the daughter of Cantonese immigrants from Taishan.[2][3][4] Gee's father was a World War II veteran who later worked as an aerospace engineer on projects like the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle, while her mother was a garment worker.[3] Gee earned a Bachelors of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1984.[5] From 1984 until 1986, Gee served as a law clerk for Judge Milton Schwartz of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.[5][6]

Professional career

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In 1986, Gee joined the Los Angeles law firm of Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP. She served as an associate from 1986 until 1990, and became a partner in 1990. From 1994 until 1999, Gee also served as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a federal labor relations authority.[6]

Federal judicial service

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Expired nomination to federal district court under Clinton

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On May 27, 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Gee to be a judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California to replace Judge John G. Davies. However, with Republicans in control of the United States Senate, Gee's nomination languished, despite her meeting with Clinton on May 24, 2000.[7] Gee never received a hearing before the Republican-controlled United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and her nomination was returned to Clinton at the end of his presidency.[8] President George W. Bush later successfully nominated John F. Walter to the seat to which Gee had been nominated.[6]

Nomination to district court under Obama

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On August 6, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Gee to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California, to fill the seat vacated by Judge George P. Schiavelli, who resigned in October 2008.[5] On October 15, 2009, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary referred Gee's nomination to the full Senate. The Senate confirmed Gee by unanimous consent on December 24, 2009. She received her commission on January 4, 2010.[9] On March 19, 2010, Gee was inducted to California's branch of the United States District Court.[10] This makes her the first Chinese American woman to serve as an Article III Judge.[11][6] She became chief judge on March 31, 2024.[12]

Notable rulings

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Ruling on Trump's family detention policy

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In June 2018, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions requested that the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California modify the Flores Agreement “in a manner that would permit the Secretary, under present resource constraints, to detain alien families together throughout the pendency of criminal proceedings for improper entry or any removal or other immigration proceedings.” On July 9, 2018, Gee rejected the request, citing that there was no basis to modify the agreement and pointing out that it is an issue the legislative branch has to solve instead.[13] She ruled at the time that immigrant children generally can't be held longer than 20 days.[14] On June 26, 2020, Gee ruled that migrant children held longer than 20 days must be released because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hubbell, Martindale (March 2002). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Volume 2 (2002 - California A-R). Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561604913.
  2. ^ Baxter, Eric (September 28, 2009). "Chinese-American jurists raise the bar". China Daily.
  3. ^ a b "L.A. Now". The Los Angeles Times. December 25, 2009.
  4. ^ "Boxer recommends two for Los Angeles federal bench". Associated Press. February 3, 1999.
  5. ^ a b c President Obama Nominates Edward Milton Chen, Dolly Gee and Richard Seeborg to Serve on the District Court Bench, whitehouse.gov (August 7, 2009).
  6. ^ a b c d Dolly Gee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  7. ^ "Clinton Nominates Asian American for U.S. District court". AsianWeek. June 7, 2000. p. 12.
  8. ^ "(END OF THE MONTH) U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts Takes Senior Status...Adjournment of Senate Kills Hopes of Ninth Circuit, U.S. District Court Nominees...Legislation Creating New Positions on Court of Appeal, Superior Court Effective Monday". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. December 29, 2000. p. 9.
  9. ^ Dolly Gee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  10. ^ "A Brilliant Shattering of Glass". The Pacific Citizen. April 2, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014.
  11. ^ "In The News". house.gov. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Judge Dolly M. Gee Succeeds Judge Philip S. Gutierrez as Chief Judge of the Central District Of California". United States District Court for the Central District of California. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "Federal judge denies Trump administration request to detain immigrant children". www.cbsnews.com. 10 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Trump's executive order only protects against family separation for 20 days". www.cbsnews.com. 20 June 2018.
  15. ^ Romero, Dennis (June 26, 2020). "Judge orders release of migrant children over coronavirus". NBC News. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
2010–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
2024–present
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