The first Hmong American judge in US history says he is being greeted with an “overwhelming sense of pride and joy” from the South Asian American community.
As AsAmNews reported on December 28, California Governor Jerry Brown has appointed Paul Chapao Lo to the Superior Court in Merced in California’s Central Valley.
He recently sat down and talked to the Modesto Bee about his background and the Hmong culture in the criminal justice system.
“My father, Chong Lo, was a simple farmer and soldier who served with Gen. Vang Pao’s special guerrilla unit in his teens and 20s,” Lo said. “In mid-1975, all of a sudden we were told we had to flee because the country had fallen to the communist Pathet Lao.”
His family was sponsored by his aunt and uncle who had arrived in the United States during the “first Hmong wave.” He said he was fortunate to be young enough to learn English quickly. He said he was inspired to become a lawyer to help his community.
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“The Hmong had nightmares dealing with the legal system – everything from problems with traffic citations, the DMV, schools, the welfare office. Some old folks arrested for minor misdemeanors thought they were going to go to prison for the rest of the their lives and committed suicide in jail in the early days.”
