--- title: "Kenneth Kiyul Lee | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-kiyul-lee" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Kenneth Kiyul Lee U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2019-present - Kenneth Kiyul Lee is a South Korean–born American lawyer and judge who serves as a United States circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a position he has held since June 12, 2019 - Partner at Jenner & Block’s Los Angeles office (2009–2019) - Law clerk to Judge Emilio M. Garza (5th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals), 2000–2001 - Law Clerk, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2000-2001 ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (2000) - J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2000 - B.A. summa cum laude in government from Cornell University in 1997 ### Additional information - Special counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 2005-present - The Senate confirmed him on May 15, 2019 by a 52–45 vote, and he received his commission on June 12, 2019. - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 2009-2019 - President Donald J. Trump nominated Lee on November 13, 2018 to replace Stephen Reinhardt on the Ninth Circuit. - Adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University School of Law (2010–2011) - Adjunct faculty member, Pepperdine Law School, 2010-2011 - Associate counsel and special assistant, President George W. Bush, 2006-2009 - Private practice, New York City, 2001-2006 - Associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York (2001–2006), including high-profile 9/11 litigation - Lee was born August 30, 1975, in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the United States with his family at age four after the 1979 military coup. - Date of birth: 1975-01-01 - Based in San Diego, California. - Lee has litigated consumer class actions in food, technology, and healthcare sectors, and has provided pro bono representation to indigent and incarcerated individuals. - He grew up in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. - In summary: Kenneth Kiyul Lee is a highly educated, experienced appellate judge with a background in high-profile litigation, government service, and academic teaching, now serving on one of the most influential federal appellate courts in the United States. - Birth place: Seoul, South Korea ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6453086) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6453086) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/6453086) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8657/kenneth-kiyul-lee/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8657/kenneth-kiyul-lee/) - [Wikidata: Kenneth K. Lee](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57242778) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-kiyul-lee", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-kiyul-lee", "name": "Kenneth Kiyul Lee | KnowJudges", "description": "Kenneth Kiyul Lee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 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