Lee was born in 1975 in Seoul, South Korea. Lee's family immigrated to the United States when he was four years old, following the 1979 military coup in South Korea.[3] Lee grew up in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.[4] His father operated a spray paint equipment repair shop, and his mother was a pharmacist and acupuncturist.[4] Neither of Lee’s parents spoke English, but they insisted that he understand the language and did not allow him to attend a Korean church for that reason.[4]
On January 30, 2019, President Trump indicated that he would renominate Lee to a Ninth Circuit vacancy.[12] On February 6, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[13] On March 13, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[14] During the hearing, he was questioned about college writings covering AIDS, political correctness, and feminism. He apologized for some of the writings, saying he regretted them and was embarrassed by them.[15]The Wall Street Journal editorial board responded to the questioning about Lee's college writings: "...what Mr. Lee wrote in college is of no relevance to how he’d behave as a jurist. ... What liberals really don’t like is that Mr. Lee dissented from progressive doctrines on racial preferences, among other issues."[16]
On April 4, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[17] On May 14, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 50–45 vote.[18] On May 15, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 52–45 vote.[19] He received his judicial commission on June 12, 2019.[20] Lee is the nation's first Article III judge who was born in the Republic of Korea and the second Korean American to serve on the Ninth Circuit.[21][22]
In August 2020, Lee was part of a three-judge panel who held that California's "large capacity magazine ban" was unconstitutional.[23][24]
^ abcde"Lee, Kenneth Kiyul". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 27, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ abSeverino, Carrie Campbell (October 10, 2018). "Who is Ken Lee?". National Review. Retrieved February 18, 2019.