Judge Robert M. Takasugi, the first Japanese-American appointed to the federal bench,

Judge Robert M. Takasugi, the first Japanese-American appointed to the federal bench, has died in Los Angeles. He was 78.

His son, Superior Court Judge Jon Takasugi, says he died Tuesday at a nursing home after a number of illnesses.


Robert Takasugi was a much-honored jurist who presided over the high-profile trial of automaker John Z. DeLorean in 1984 and authored groundbreaking opinions. He was appointed to the federal bench in 1976 and remained active as a judge until last April.

Robert Takasugi was born in Tacoma, Wash., in 1930 and was interned as a child with his family during World War II.

He began representing indigents and civil rights protesters in the 1960s and became a key figure in the Asian-American legal community and mentored minority law students.

RIP

Seattle Times