Federal judicial service
On July 1,2014,Kato was sworn in as a United States magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. [4]
On December 15,2021,President Joe Biden nominated Kato to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. [3] President Biden nominated Kato to the seat vacated by Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell,who died on October 8,2017. [5]
On February 1,2022,a hearing was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. [6] During her confirmation hearing,Senators Chuck Grassley and Ted Cruz questioned her about a 1995 book review,published in Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review ,that Kato had co-written in law school;in a heated dialogue,the two Republicans questioned Kato about a footnote in the book review that said that Asian-American neoconservatives "internalize the dialogue of oppressors,believing in the values of the status quo and condemning the activism of their group." [2] [7] [8] Cruz also questioned her about her views on affirmative action. [2] [7] Some Republicans also objected to Kato's past experience as a public defender. [9] Her nomination is supported by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. [7] On March 10,2022,the committee failed to report her nomination by an 11–11 vote. [10]
On January 3,2023,her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI,Paragraph 6 of the Senate;she was renominated the same day. [11] On February 9,2023,her nomination was reported out of committee by a party-line 11–10 vote. [12] On November 7,2023,the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 50–47 vote. [13] Later that day,her nomination was confirmed by a 51–46 vote. [14] She received her judicial commission on November 17,2023. [15]
