Kenly Kiya Kato
Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate 51–46, Kenly Kiya Kato is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. She earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1996. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1972 · age 54
- Appointed by
- Joseph R. Biden, 2023
- Confirmed
- 51–46
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles 1993 · Harvard Law School 1996
- Succeeded
- Beverly Reid O'Connell
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Central District of California succeeded Beverly Reid O'Connell | Biden (D) | 51–46 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 51–46 on November 7, 2023 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 295. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 51
48 D, 3 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Laphonza Butler(D-CA)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- John Fetterman(D-PA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- John Hickenlooper(D-CO)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Mark Kelly(D-AZ)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Ben Lujan(D-NM)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Jon Ossoff(D-GA)
- Alex Padilla(D-CA)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Kyrsten Sinema(I-AZ)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Raphael Warnock(D-GA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Peter Welch(D-VT)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 46
46 R
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Ted Budd(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Bill Hagerty(R-TN)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Cynthia Lummis(R-WY)
- Roger Marshall(R-KS)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Markwayne Mullin(R-OK)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Pete Ricketts(R-NE)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Eric Schmitt(R-MO)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Tommy Tuberville(R-AL)
- J. Vance(R-OH)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Did not vote · 3
3 R
- Katie Britt(R-AL)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
Education
| University of California, Los Angeles | B.A. | 1993 |
| Harvard Law School | J.D. | 1996 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Robert M. Takasugi, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California | 1996-1997 |
| Federal Public Defender's Office, Central District of California, 1997-2003; research and writing attorney, 1997-1998; deputy federal public defender | 1998-2003 |
| Private practice, Los Angeles, California | 2003-2004 |
| Private practice, Palm Desert, California | 2004-2014 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Kenly Kiya Kato?
- President Joseph R. Biden appointed Kenly Kiya Kato to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in 2023.
- Was Kenly Kiya Kato appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Kenly Kiya Kato was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Kenly Kiya Kato's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Kenly Kiya Kato 51–46 on November 7, 2023.
- Which court is Kenly Kiya Kato on?
- Kenly Kiya Kato is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2023)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
2 years on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).