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Apr. 22, 2025

Sacramento Judge Rei Onishi reflects on unlikely career

Rei Onishi, a Sacramento judge with humble immigrant roots, rose from Harvard Law to serve under Obama, Harris, Brown and Newsom.

Read more about Rei R. Onishi...
Sacramento Judge Rei Onishi reflects on unlikely career

SACRAMENTO -- Rei R. Onishi never thought about becoming a judge until he worked for one. In 2011, just after graduating from Harvard Law School, he moved to Atlanta to spend a year under the tutelage of Judge Beverly B. Martin at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"I remember on the first day I was being sworn in as a law clerk," he said. "The judge I was working for said something to the effect of, 'Hey, maybe you'll be doing this one day... (continued)

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