2026 American Inns of Court Ninth Circuit Professionalism Award Presented to Chief District Judge Dolly M. Gee

N E W S

Aug. 19, 2026
Contact: Katherine Rodriguez
mediarelease@ce9.uscourts.gov

 

Chief District Judge Dolly M. Gee, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, received the 2026 American Inns of Court Ninth Circuit Professionalism Award at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference on July 20.

Ninth Circuit Judge Consuelo M. Callahan, current president of the national American Inns of Court and a past recipient of the award herself, offered background on its history and purpose. “The American Inns of Court is a national organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence within the legal community,” Judge Callahan said. “The American Inns of Court circuit professionalism awards are awarded each year to a lawyer or a judge whose life and practice displayed sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.”

Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia presented the award to Judge Gee, praising her career on the bench and before it. “Throughout her life and distinguished career as a lawyer, judge, and now chief judge, Dolly Gee has exemplified and inspired the highest standards of the legal profession with her unquestioned integrity, resolute courage, and deep commitment to the rule of law,” Judge Murguia said. She added that Judge Gee’s “life personifies truly the American dream.”

Judge Murguia pointed to Judge Gee’s upbringing as the source of that commitment: growing up in Los Angeles, Judge Gee served as her mother’s aide and translator, and that early exposure to the challenges her mother faced as a non-English-speaking, low-wage worker inspired Judge Gee to pursue a career in law and civil rights.

Accepting the honor, Judge Gee traced that dream back to her family’s own journey to the United States. “I would like to express my deep appreciation to [my colleagues] and the American Inns of Court for this tremendous honor,” she said. “If my career has reflected in any way the ideals of professionalism that this award symbolizes, it is because of the values imparted to me by my immigrant parents, to whom I dedicate this award.”

Judge Gee described her family’s history as “a familiar immigrant story.” Her great-great-grandfather worked on the transcontinental railroad but returned to China after passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Decades later, her parents arrived in the United States with no money and unable to speak English. “They worked long hours and endured much hardship,” Judge Gee said. “But like most immigrants, they came with a boundless optimism that they could make a better life for themselves here in the United States of America—not only for themselves, but most importantly for their children.” Where her parents had grown up in Chinese farming villages without running water or electricity, Judge Gee noted, one generation later her brother became a medical school professor and pharmaceutical entrepreneur, and she became a federal judge.

“From my parents I inherited the credos that governed both my private and professional life,” Judge Gee continued, “among them: that we must treat one another with compassion, kindness, and respect; that we must not lie, cheat, or steal; that we must be frugal in our own comforts but generous toward others; that we must maintain humility and never be a sycophant before the rich and powerful; that we must stand up to bullies and protect those who are unable to protect themselves; that our integrity is a treasure to be safeguarded at all times; and that we must never forget the injustices of the past, because they serve as the inspiration for a better and more equitable future.”

She closed by thanking “all of my colleagues in the Central District of California and the American Inns of Court for this very meaningful award.”

A district judge since 2010, Judge Gee became chief judge in 2024. Before joining the bench, she was a partner at Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP, specializing in labor and employment law.