Biography

The Hon. Richard Y. Lee is a judge of the Superior Court of Orange County in California. He was appointed by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 11, 2010, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Josephine S. Tucker.

Lee attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He then received a J.D. from the University of Southern California in 1997.

Lee began his legal career by working as a research attorney for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in 1997. The following year, he became an associate at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker, where he specialized in employment matters. Then, in 2001, Lee joined the Office of the U.S. Attorney. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Central District of California, prosecuting federal crimes involving counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, national security, and export controls.

Lee is the first Korean-American judge to be appointed to the Superior Court of Orange County.

He has served as an Executive Director for the Orange County Korean American Bar Association.

Lee is registered to vote as a Republican.