[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21201-21202]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING JUDGE ROBERT M. TAKASUGI

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to honor 
the life of Judge Robert M. Takasugi, the first Japanese American 
appointed to the Federal bench. Judge Takasugi passed away on August 7, 
2009, at the age of 78.
  Robert Takasugi was born in Tacoma, WA, on September 12, 1930, to 
Japanese parents who had immigrated to the United States in search of a 
better life. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1942 in the wake of 
anti-Japanese sentiment following the Pearl Harbor attack. That same 
year, Robert and his parents were sent to an internment camp at Tule 
Lake, CA, 3 of 130,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during the 
war. In the years since, Judge Takasugi often called the experience 
``an education to be fair.''
  After being released from the internment camp in 1945, Robert 
returned to Los Angeles where he resumed his studies and graduated from 
Belmont High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from UCLA 
in 1953. Robert was then drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean 
War, where he served as a criminal investigator. Upon discharge, he 
went on to earn a law degree from USC in 1959 with the aid of the G.I. 
bill.
  After graduating from USC, Robert joined his only Latino classmate, 
future Superior Court Judge Carlos Velarde, and together they opened a 
law practice in East Los Angeles. The firm represented many indigent 
minorities, including arrestees from the 1965 Watts riots, East Los 
Angeles riots, and other civil rights demonstrators in the 1960s.
  Robert's first judicial appointment, by then-Governor Ronald Reagan, 
landed him on the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1973. Two years later, 
then-Governor Jerry Brown promoted him to the Los Angeles County 
Superior Court and in 1976, Judge Takasugi became the first Japanese 
American to be appointed to the Federal bench after being named by 
President Gerald Ford.
  Throughout his career, Judge Takasugi was known for his fairness and 
compassion. In his spare time, he served as a mentor to thousands of 
young lawyers. He founded a free bar review course, which he taught 
from his living room for many years, for students who were having 
trouble passing the bar exam. In 1999, the Robert M. Takasugi Public 
Interest Fellowship was created by his colleague to honor Judge 
Takasugi and ensure that his courage and vision of equal justice are 
carried out by generations to come.
  Judge Takasugi was a trailblazer for Asian Americans in the field of 
law. His dedication to justice and equality was evident in everything 
that he did throughout his 36-year judicial career on the Federal 
bench. His many years of service to the City and County of Los Angeles, 
to the State of California, and to our Nation will not be forgotten.
  Judge Takasugi is survived by his wife Dorothy; his son Jon; his 
daughter

[[Page 21202]]

Lesli; and his two grandchildren. I extend my deepest sympathies to his 
family.
  Whether he was fighting for our country or fighting for integrity and 
equality under the law, Judge Robert Takasugi was undeterred in his 
efforts to make America a better place to live. He will be missed by 
all who knew him. We take comfort in knowing that future generations 
will benefit from his passion and dedication to justice.

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