JABA - Japanese American Bar Association of Greater Los Angeles

JABA Congratulates Timothy R. Saito and Upinder S. Kalra on their Appointments to the Los Angeles Superior Court

JABA congratulates board member Timothy R. Saito and JABA member Upinder S. Kalra on their appointments to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 30, 2010.

Saito, 47, of Glendale, has served as a deputy city attorney for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office since 2000. He served the U.S. District Court, Central District of California as a research attorney and judicial law clerk from 1994 to 2000. Saito earned a Juris Doctorate degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in law from Glendale University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on January 26, 2010.

Kalra, 45, of Los Angeles, has served as a deputy alternate public defender for the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office since 1995. He was a deputy public defender for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1990 to 1995. Kalra earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen.

JABA Supports Assembly Bill 1775 -- Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution

The Japanese American Bar Association of Greater Los Angeles supports Assembly Bill 1775, authored by Assemblymember Warren Furutani. The bill would require the Governor to proclaim April 19 as “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution,” designating that date each year as having special significance, and encouraging schools to conduct exercises to remember the life of Fred Korematsu and recognize the importance of preserving civil liberties.

Your letter of support for AB 1775 may be sent to:

Assemblymember Warren T. Furutani

State Capital Room 3126

Sacramento, CA 95814

AB 1775 unanimously passed the California Assembly on May 20, 2010, and will be heard by the Senate Education Committee on June 30. For more information, please go to the Korematsu Institute website.

The Daily Journal Profiles the Honorable Jon Takasugi

Superior Court Judge Jon Takasugi’s black robes are too wide around the middle and the sleeves are too short. And that’s just the way he likes them.

He inherited the robes from his father, the late-U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi, who spent 33 years on the federal bench. Robert Takasugi was revered by lawyers and judges alike for his humanity, independence and dedication to the doctrine of equal justice.

His constant mantra was “always, always do the right thing,” his son said.

That may be one of the reasons Jon Takasugi, 46, weighs so carefully each side of every misdemeanor case or felony preliminary hearing that comes before him. Read the full profile at www.dailyjournal.com.

JABA Mourns the Passing of the Honorable Robert M. Takasugi

Robert M. Takasugi was born in Tacoma, Washington on September 12, 1930, to Japanese parents who immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. In 1942 after the outbreak of World War II, his family was imprisoned in an internment camp in Tule Lake, California along with 130,000 other Japanese Americans. At the age of 12, he lost his father due to the lack of medical care in the camps.

After the war, the Takasugi family relocated to Los Angeles where Robert attended Belmont High School. He continued his education at UCLA where he met his wife Dorothy. He graduated with a business degree in 1953.

Despite his childhood incarceration by the country of his birth, Robert reported for duty when called to serve during the Korean War. Upon discharge, he attended law school at the University of Southern California during a time when there was only one African American, one Asian, one Latino, and one woman in the class.

Due to the social climate when Robert graduated in 1959, he and the only Latino in the class (now retired Judge Carlos Velarde) found themselves without job offers. They went into private practice together in East Los Angeles. Robert was appointed to the East Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1973 and was elevated to the Superior Court in 1975. He was appointed to the U.S. District Court in 1976 and became the first Japanese American on the mainland to be appointed to the federal bench.

While many may know him for presiding over the John DeLorean cocaine trafficking trial in 1984, it was either fate or destiny that placed a challenge to the Patriot Act during post-9/11 hysteria on his court docket. In 2002, he found broad claims of “military necessity” and “national security” could not override the Constitution and Due Process as it had during his childhood.

One of his proudest legacies might be the free bar review course he started in his dining room some 40 years ago. He tutored hundreds of lawyers, and what began as friends helping friends has become a full ?service bar review for “people who help people.” His son runs the Pro Bono Bar Review with 14 volunteer instructors and a donated conference room.

He is survived by his wife Dorothy, son Jon (Haydeh), daughter Lesli, two grandchildren, Kinuyo and Matthew Takasugi. He is also survived by his older brother Terry (Mihoko), sister Misao Takasugi, and many nieces and nephews.

Judge Takasugi passed away on August 4, 2009 at the age of 78.

* * *
Tax deductible contributions may be made to the Robert M. Takasugi Pro Bono Bar Review. Please make checks out to “JABA Educational Foundation” with “Pro Bono Bar Review” on the Memo line, and send to ??the Japanese American Bar Association Educational Foundation; P.O. Box 86063; Los Angeles, CA 90086.

JABA extends its deepest sympathy to Judge Robert Takasugi's son, Judge Jon R. Takasugi, and to the Takasugi family.

JABA's MCLE Event Featuring Holly Fujie

On August 25, 2009, the President of the California State Bar, Holly Fujie spoke at a MCLE event hosted by JABA and Perkins Coie LLP. The topic was the benefits of diversity for the bench and bar. Ms. Fujie spoke candidly about the challenges faced by diverse attorneys, and the benefits and insight that they bring as lawyers and judges. As a JABA member herself, Ms. Fujie's presentation was especially relevant to JABA members. Approximately 30 people attended the event, which took place in Century City. Fukuto.

The Japanese American Bar Association Educational Foundation (JEF) 2008 Scholarship Applications are now available. Please go to the Scholarships page for more information. Awards are given in honor of Justice John F. Aiso, Justice Stephen K. Tamura, and Judge Edward Y. Kakita, highly distinguished and pioneering Asian American judges, and through the Lim, Ruger & Kim Foundation.

Judicial Candidate Mentoring Program

JABA is pleased to announce the establishment of its Judicial Candidate Mentoring Program. JABA’s goal, through this program, is to promote and enhance judicial opportunities for its members by providing individual mentoring to those interested in a judicial career. If you are interested in becoming a judge or commissioner and would like to be mentored on an individual and confidential basis, please contact Judicial Appointments Committee Chair Katherine Hikida at (213) 894-2285. You must be a JABA member (add link to membership application) to participate in the Judicial Candidate Mentoring Program. If you are a judicial officer interested in mentoring, please contact Katherine Hikida. JABA thanks you for your support!