Judge Dolly M. Gee, Life Fellow, was selected as the 2026 recipient of the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Gee will receive the award at a special awards ceremony in Bellevue, Washington, in July.
She is currently the Chief U.S. District Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the first Asian American woman to serve in that role for the Central District. She became chief judge in 2024 and was a district judge since 2010. Prior to that role, she helped create and continues to oversee the Conviction and Sentence Alternatives Program, which has allowed more than 400 criminal defendants to avoid incarceration by addressing their substance use and mental health issues.
The American Inns of Court seeks to inspire the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The organization’s membership includes more than 30,000 federal, state, and local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students.
Read more here.