A Korean American lawyer from Chicago has been recommended to be a federal judge in Illinois, according to the Korea Herald.
John Z. Lee, 44, was recommended for one of three vacant slots in Chicago federal court by Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin. If selected for nomination by President Obama, Lee would then need full Senate confirmation.
Born in Germany, Lee was raised in Chicago and finished his degree at Harvard Law School. Graduating cum laude in 1992, he studied close to the same time as U.S. President Barack Obama, who graduated in 1991.
In addition, Lee previously served as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice and is currently a partner at commercial law firm Freeborn & Peters.
The candidate is also working for two non-profit organizations, namely Asian Human Services of Chicago and CARPLS (Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services).
If Lee is confirmed, he will be just the third Korean American federal judge. Herbert Choy of Hawaii was the first in 1971 followed by Lucy Koh, who was confirmed by the Senate in June 2010.
