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Leslie E. Kobayashi
American judge (born 1957) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Leslie Emi Kobayashi (born October 9, 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.
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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.[2][3]
Career
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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.[2][3]
Federal judicial service
On April 21, 2010, Kobayashi was nominated to a seat as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii by Barack Obama. She was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Judge Helen W. Gillmor, who assumed senior status in 2009. The United States Senate confirmed the nomination on December 18, 2010.[4][5] This makes her the first Japanese American federal judge confirmed during the Obama Administration.[6] She received her commission on December 22, 2010. Kobayashi assumed senior status on October 9, 2024.[3]
Notable cases
On August 8, 2023, Kobayashi partially blocked Hawaii's ban on firearms in public places.[7][8] On September 6, 2024, the 9th circuit largely reinstated Hawaii's firearm ban,[9][10] and denied en banc on January 15, 2025.[11]
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