Friday, September 13, 2019

DJ profiles Justice Dorothy Kim

In Careful Work, today's DJ profiles 2/5's Justice Kim.

It’s nice when the judiciary in Los Angeles county reflects the society it serves, says appellate Justice Dorothy C. Kim, who a year ago became the first Korean American justice in California’s history.
“It is an honor to serve whether it is as the first or the 50th,” Kim said. “I was born in Korea but grew up in Los Angeles. It has been a great privilege to serve the very community where I grew up,” either as an assistant U.S. attorney, a superior court judge or on the 2nd District Court of Appeal.
  • “You have to advocate, but the record is set,” Kim said. “The most important skill is being able to accurately describe a record and explain as clearly as you can what the reported error is and explain why it is you are entitled to the relief you seek. You want to be credible as an advocate and ensure that if you said something in a particular way that the court — which will inevitably go through the court record itself — will find it there.”
  • “I am very confident that my colleagues and I keep a very open mind during oral arguments and often times I use oral argument as an opportunity to have questions answered,” Kim said. “Unlike in trial court — where it’s very free-flowing in terms of question and answer — this is our one shot to ask questions after we have read the briefs and reviewed all the record.”
  • When she isn’t sitting on a panel or researching cases, Kim enjoys spending time with her family, running in half marathons and spending time outdoors.