Judge Ronald S.W. Lew: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew is a District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division. He was nominated in February 1987 by President Ronald Regan and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 1987. He filled the seat vacated by the death of the Hon. Laughlin E. Waters (deceased). Judge Lew assumed senior status in September 2006. At the time of his confirmation, he held the distinction of being the first Chinese American to be seated as an Article III judge on the mainland United States.

Judge Lew is a registered Republican.

He received his B.A. from Loyola Marymount University in 1964. After graduating from college, Lew then began the pursuit of his law degree, enrolling at Southwestern Law School, but his studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War. Lew enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967, during which time he served as a first lieutenant in Okinawa, Japan. Then, after completing his military service, Lew returned to his studies at Southwestern, completing his J.D. in 1971.

After graduating from law school, Lew became a deputy city attorney for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, a position he would hold for two years. During his tenure there, he was assigned to the Criminal and Civil Liability Divisions.

Then, in 1974, Lew entered into private practice, where he would remain until 1981.

In 1976, while still in private practice, Lew was appointed by former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley to serve as the commissioner of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Commission. Lew maintained that position until being appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1982 by former Governor Jerry Brown. Two years later, Judge Lew was elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court by former Governor George Deukmejian. He would remain a Superior Court Judge until receiving the confirmation to the District Court in 1987. During his tenure on the Superior Court, Judge Lew presided in the Criminal Division and also served on the Second District Court of Appeal.

His memberships have included the Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. Lew was also instrumental in helping to establish the nonprofit Chinatown Service Center. He has been a board member for the Chinese Heart Council, Southwestern Law School, and the Friends of the Chinese American Museum.

Some of his judicial memberships have included the Committee on International Relations of the United States Judicial Conference, the Federal Judges Association, and the Federal Circuit Bar Association Judges Committee.

Judge Lew, whose father immigrated to the United States from China in the 1920s, was born in Los Angeles, California.