Dolly M. Gee

Dolly Maizie Gee (Chinese: 朱美瑜; born July 1, 1959) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Early life and education

Gee was born in Hawthorne, California, the daughter of Cantonese immigrants from Taishan. Gee's father was a World War II veteran who later worked as an aerospace engineer on projects like the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle, while her mother was a garment worker. From 1984 until 1986, Gee served as a law clerk for Judge Milton Schwartz of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Professional career

In 1986, Gee joined the Los Angeles law firm of Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP. She served as an associate from 1986 until 1990, and became a partner in 1990. From 1994 until 1999, Gee also served as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, a federal labor relations authority. Gee never received a hearing before the Republican-controlled United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and her nomination was returned to Clinton at the end of his presidency. President George W. Bush later successfully nominated John F. Walter to the seat to which Gee had been nominated. On March 19, 2010, Gee was inducted to California's branch of the United States District Court. This makes her the first Chinese American woman to serve as an Article III Judge.

Notable rulings

Ruling on Trump's family detention policy In June 2018, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions requested that the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California modify the Flores Agreement “in a manner that would permit the Secretary, under present resource constraints, to detain alien families together throughout the pendency of criminal proceedings for improper entry or any removal or other immigration proceedings.” On July 9, 2018, Gee rejected the request, citing that there was no basis to modify the agreement and pointing out that it is an issue the legislative branch has to solve instead. She ruled at the time that immigrant children generally can't be held longer than 20 days. On June 26, 2020, Gee ruled that migrant children held longer than 20 days must be released because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.