r.i.p. judge robert takasugi

Judge Robert Mitsuhiro Takasugi, of the federal Central District of California, passed away earlier this week, at the age of 79, survived by his wife and two children. He was the first Japanese American appointed to the federal bench, and a lifelong advocate for justice, especially for those who face the greatest barriers to a fair day in court.

I saw the judge speak once. It must have been 2005, at the annual APA Law & Policy Conference at Harvard, co-hosted by APIA groups from HLS and the Kennedy School. There are, it seems, some people that were built to be judges. They simply have a demeanor about them that says, "that woman/man is someone who will dispense justice fairly." It might be called 'regal,' but it is more connected with a sense of goodness for all people. Judge Takasugi was such a person, striking as a brilliant mind coupled with an unfaltering dedication to the core values of America.

His history reflects as much. He was always focused on what the law meant in the context of not only individuals, but American values, as reflected in many of his most courageous (and thus controversial) rulings (h/t angry):

Judge Takasugi was a truly extraordinary person who was, as the Los Angeles Times described him, a jurist who "swims against the national tide."

In 2002, he gained national media attention for his dismissal of several indictments against Iranian and Iranian American defendants, alleged to be members of a terrorist cell attempting to overthrow the Iranian government. The defendants challenged the government’s unilateral characterization of the group as a terrorist organization.

In the face of post-9/11 public sentiment, Judge Takasugi ruled that the government’s procedure for classifying the group as a terrorist organization was unconstitutional because the classification was made without due process of law. Judge Takasugi opined, "When weighed against a fundamental constitutional right which defines our very existence, the argument for national security should not serve as an excuse for obliterating the Constitution."

Takasugi lived government discrimination early on when he and his family were incarcerated in an internment camp during World War II, a result of popular and government paranoia and an abandonment of core values in the face of fear.

A twelve-year old Robert M. Takasugi and his family were uprooted from their home in Tacoma, Washington, relocated, and interned along with 130,000 other Japanese Americans pursuant to President Order 9066. Describing the ordeal as "an education to be fair" and one of many challenges he faced, Takasugi went on to receive degrees from UCLA and USC Law School. Thereafter, his commitment to equal justice took him to the streets of East Los Angeles, where he represented many indigent arrestees of the Watts Riots, East Los Angeles Riots, and other civil rights protestors in the 1960s before being appointed to the bench.

Judge Takasugi's dedication to fairness and justice included teaching students, but also supporting students who work to continue his legacy. The Robert M. Takasugi Fellowship annually supports law students practicing public interest law during the summer. More information on the Fellowship is here.