Judge Ruth Kwan, a first-generation Chinese American, immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States at the age of 14 in 1970. Despite facing significant cultural and racial challenges, she persevered and pursued higher education, earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC Law San Francisco) in 1981. She began her legal career at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, where she supervised the Consumer Protection Section and Dispute Resolution Program. In 1995, she was appointed to the East Los Angeles Municipal Court, becoming only the second Chinese-American woman to serve on the bench. Her dedication and judicial acumen led to her elevation to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1998, where she has since presided over hundreds of complex felony and civil jury trials.
