Family, friends and colleagues celebrated Judge Roger Chan at his induction ceremony, with several speakers noting the significance of his being the first LGBT person of color to serve on the San Francisco Superior Court.
As the Bay Area Reporter reported in August, Chan took his oath of office July 22 and has been hearing traffic cases at the Hall of Justice. Governor Jerry Brown appointed him in late June to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard A. Kramer.
His more formal swearing in and enrobing ceremony was held last Thursday, September 22 in the Milton Marks Auditorium in the Hiram Johnson State Building in the Civic Center. Retired Judge Lillian K. Sing administered the oath of office, while Chan's mother, Joyce, enrobed him with his father, Ron, standing by his side.
"This is as terrific and overwhelming as everyone told me it would be," Chan, 44, told those in attendance. "I only hope to live up to some of the words that were said of me today."
In her remarks, retired Judge Donna J. Hitchens , who in 1991 became the first out lesbian to serve on the local bench having been elected to a seat the year prior, noted that Chan, who is of Chinese and Korean descent, is the first LGBT person of color to join the local court. (The late Herb Donaldson was the first gay man appointed judge in the state, when Governor Jerry Brown appointed him in 1983 right before leaving office during his first stint as governor. Donaldson served on the San Francisco court until he retired in 1999. He died in 2008.)
"It appalls me it has taken 25 years to get a person of color from the LGBT community on the bench, but it has finally happened," said Hitchens, who stepped down in 2010, and described Chan as "one fabulous person."
A role model to the many youth Chan has helped over the years as a lawyer, Hitchens said many attorneys also look up to him. She said she was advised at the start of her judicial career that a judge should be "long of views and tough of skin," qualities that Chan possesses.
"He has the courage to do the right thing even if it is unpopular," she said.
During the vetting process for Chan, who three years ago had applied to become a judge, Hitchens received a call and was asked if Chan "was too nice to be a judge." She joked, "What does that say about the rest of us?" and insisted that despite Chan's convivial nature, "he is tough as nails."
A graduate of UC Hastings College of the Law, Chan worked in both the San Francisco and Alameda County public defenders offices. In 2009 he helped found and served as the first executive director of the East Bay Children's Law Offices, a nonprofit that provides legal representation to youth in the juvenile justice system.
State Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) noted that Chan is not only the first gay Asian judge appointed to city's Superior Court, he is also the first juvenile advocate to be named a judge in the state.
A member of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, Chiu said the group of lawmakers made a rare recommendation to the governor that he appoint Chan as a judge. He advised Chan to enjoy the adulation while it lasts.
"This is your moment. Today is your height of popularity. Before you deliver any decisions or make any motions, everyone loves you," said Chiu, a former attorney himself.
Chan was lauded in particular for his work on juvenile justice issues. He has been an advocate for foster youth and other children who have gone through the dependency and delinquency legal systems.
"Roger has been a strong proponent of children's rights his entire career," said Patricia Lee, the managing attorney of the San Francisco Public Defender's juvenile division. "Roger found his heart working with youth."
Joy Ricardo, a managing attorney at the East Bay Children's Law Offices, admitted there was both "exuberance and panic" at the agency the day Chan's judicial appointment was announced. To calm his colleagues' nerves about his leaving, Chan drafted a 50-page "manifesto" about how to run the office, she said.
"He is a brilliant mind," said Ricardo, possesses a "calm, stabilizing demeanor," and "will be relentless" in ensuring those who appear in his courtroom are treated fairly.
And she reminded Chan of the advice he has doled out to the attorneys hired to work at the nonprofit, foremost of which was "get to court on time."
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rhonda Burgess recalled how, for years, she heard colleagues praise Chan as "committed," "kind," "innovative," but the two kept missing each other. They finally met in 2011, and Chan "turned out to be more fantastic than all the hype," said Burgess.
His appointment to the San Francisco bench is bittersweet in one respect, she said.
"I was really hoping we would be the beneficiaries of Roger's talents on the sunny side of the bay," said Burgess.
Prior to swearing Chan in, Sing noted that the night prior he had emailed the invited speakers to inform them they had only five minutes and that the goal was to start "promptly at 5:30 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m." The reason being that many in attendance were also going to the Legal Aid Society �" Employment Law Center's 100th anniversary gala that night where gay actor George Takei, famous for his role as Lieutenant Sulu on Star Trek, was being honored.
"That is how considerate and thoughtful he is," said Sing.
With nearly the entire San Francisco Superior Court bench in attendance, Chan said he "is honored to be one of your colleagues" and thanked them for being "so warm and kind to me." He also praised the staff in his courtroom and said his first assignment handling traffic cases "has been an incredible experience."
He thanked his family for their support and also thanked the governor and his legal appointments secretary for "their confidence in me," adding that he is "truly honored to be San Francisco's first openly gay Asian on the bench."
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