Lucy Koh nominated as Federal appeals court judge

Lucy Koh (Korean name: Koh Hye-ran, 48), has been nominated as a judge for the U.S. Federal appeals court (equivalent of the High Court in Korea). She served as the presiding judge for legal dispute between Apple and Samsung Electronics in 2014.

Nominating Koh to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama explained the reason for nominating her by saying that Judge Koh has been distinguishing herself with invincible sincerity and fairness.

If confirmed through a Senate confirmation hearing, she will become the second Korean-American judge for a federal appeals court, after Herbert Choy (Choy Young-jo, 1916-2004). A federal appeals court judge is a lifetime position, and the U.S. has 179 of them as of now.

Born in Washington in 1968, Koh is a second-generation Korean American who graduated from Harvard University (sociology major) and the Harvard Law School. She served as staff of the Federal Department of Justice, federal prosecutor, judge for Santa Clara County in California, before being named a judge for the federal district court for northern California in 2010. She was the first female Korean-American to become a federal district court judge. She earned fame after presiding over high profile legal cases including the Apple versus Samsung case, which was dubbed the "Trial of the Century."

She was even considered as a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court justice that became vacant due to the sudden demise of Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia had also been appointed as a Supreme Court justice after serving as a federal appeals court judge.

권재현기자 confetti@donga.com