Leslie E. Kobayashi

Leslie Emi Kobayashi (born 1957) is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Early life and education Kobayashi was born in 1957 in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the Boston College Law School in 1983.

Career Kobayashi worked as a trial attorney and managing partner of the law firm of Fujiyama, Duffy & Fujiyama in Honolulu for a period of 17 years. She worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Honolulu before becoming a United States magistrate judge on August 2, 1999. In 2000 and 2001, she taught at the William S. Richardson School of Law. This makes her the first Japanese American federal judge confirmed during the Obama Administration. She received her commission on December 22, 2010. Kobayashi assumed senior status on October 9, 2024. On September 6, 2024, the 9th circuit largely reinstated Hawaii's firearm ban, and denied en banc on January 15, 2025.