NAPABA Trailblazers Judge Dolly Gee and Judge Benes Aldana to Receive ABA Spirit of Excellence Award

For Immediate Release: 
Date: November 3, 2023

NAPABA Trailblazers Judge Dolly Gee and Judge Benes Aldana to Receive ABA Spirit of Excellence Awards

WASHINGTON - This week, the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession announced that the Hon. Dolly Gee of the federal District Court for the Central District of California, and the Hon. Benes Aldana (ret.) President of the National Judicial College, have been named as recipients of its 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award. Each year, the ABA honors lawyers who have excelled in their fields and who have demonstrated an abiding commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession with this prestigious distinction. Both judges have previously been recognized by NAPABA as Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Awardees in honor of their achievements, commitment, and leadership in paving the way for advancement of other Asian Pacific, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander attorneys. 

Judge Dolly Gee was the first Chinese American woman in the nation to be nominated and confirmed as an Article III federal judge, after a renowned career as a highly-regarded practitioner in the field of labor and employment law. As the child of immigrants and the great, great grandchild of a Chinese laborer who was forced to return to China in the face of discrimination, Judge Gee has long been a champion for diversity and inclusion—and not just for Asian Americans, but Americans of all diverse backgrounds. Her exemplary service to her community, including as former president of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, founder of APABA-Los Angeles, and past leadership with the Multicultural Bar Alliance and the Southern California Civil Rights Coalition, is a testament to her commitment to people of all backgrounds. From the bench, she continues her dedication to the community, as Chair of the Central District Court’s Pro Bono Committee, and as a founder of a summer legal immersion and pipeline program for underserved high school students. 

“As a bar leader, Judge Gee broke down barriers and promoted the full and equal participation of so many in the legal profession,” said Sandra Leung, President of NAPABA. “Today, as a judge, her fierce independence and fidelity to the rule of law have made her a beacon of judicial integrity. NAPABA has long recognized that Judge Gee is a true trailblazer. “ 

Judge Benes Aldana is the current president of the National Judicial College and has proudly served his country in uniform becoming the first Asian American chief trial judge in U.S. military history when he was the presiding legal officer for the United States Coast Guard. While in the Coast Guard, Judge Aldana held a variety of positions including as an appellate and trial judge, and chief legal officer of the Eight Coast Guard District in New Orleans, overseeing the branch’s largest field office. In the aftermath of 9/11, he was deployed as a legal adviser to the Department of Defense Criminal Investigation Task Force in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, conducting criminal investigations against suspected terrorists detained by U.S. forces. A stalwart of the American Bar Association’s leadership, Judge Aldana was the Chair of the ABA’s Solo, Small Firm, and General Practice Division, a member of the House of Delegates, the ABA standing Committee on Judicial Independence, and he currently chairs the ABA’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Judge Aldana is a founding member of the Filipino Lawyers of Washington (state), was a board member of the Filipino Americans Lawyers Association of Washington, D.C., and was the former president of NAPABA’s Judicial Council. 

“Judge Aldana has a remarkable record of service to his country, to his community, and to the legal profession,” said Priya Purandare, Executive Director of NAPABA. “He has been a stalwart and reliable friend to NAPABA for so long, and we are truly excited to witness this prestigious recognition, which is well-deserved, bestowed upon him.”

Also receiving the 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award are:

• Col. José A. Cora, Army Chief of Contract Litigation and Intellectual Property Division
• Sara E. Hill, Former Attorney General of the Cherokee Nation 
• Juan R. Thomas, Of Counsel to Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.
  

The 2024 Spirit of Excellence Awards will be presented during a ceremony on February 3, 2024 at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, KY.