ABOUT
DENNIS HAYASHI
Dennis' parents - George and Yuki Hayashi
Judge Dennis Hayashi has dedicated his career to serving the public, providing leadership in the legal community for over 30 years. On November 4, 2008, an overwhelming majority of voters elected him to serve as a judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. Judge Hayashi was sworn into office in January 2009 by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George, who administered the Constitutional Oath. During his tenure on the bench, Judge Hayashi presided over civil trials and complex litigation cases. In addition, Judge Hayashi was an integral member of court leadership, serving as the Chair of the California Bench Bar Coalition, the Superior Court’s Executive Committee member, and the Presiding Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court Appellate Panel. As a lifelong champion for civil rights, Judge Hayashi contributed his expertise to several California Judicial Council committees, including the Access and Fairness Advisory Committee and the Joint Working Group for California’s Language Access Plan. In 2011 and 2016, he served on a statewide working group that convened Diversity in the Judiciary summits in conjunction with the California Judges Association.
Before joining the court, Judge Hayashi was the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human Services, and Director of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (the California Civil Rights Department), enforcing civil rights laws in employment, housing, public accommodations, healthcare, and family medical leave.
Judge Hayashi has worked to ensure fairness and equal protection throughout his career. Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Judge Hayashi served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was responsible for ensuring that programs receiving federal funds from the Department were in compliance with all civil rights laws. Overseeing its headquarters in Washington, DC, as well as ten regional offices, Judge Hayashi ensured the enforcement of laws such as the Age Discrimination Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Judge Hayashi Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He served as the legal advisor to the Agency leadership on various federal initiatives. In 2000, Judge Hayashi was appointed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific Americans which was established by the Executive Order 13125 to advise the President on the development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal efforts to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
In April 1999, Governor Gray Davis appointed Judge Hayashi the Director of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the country's largest state civil rights agency. The Department’s mission is to protect the rights of seniors, women, people with disabilities, and minorities who face discrimination in employment, housing, or public accommodation.
1983 press conference on his internment case. Seated are (l to r) Dale Minami, Fred Korematsu and Peter Irons. Standing are Donald Tamaki, Dennis Hayashi and Lorraine Bannai. In the second row are some of the Korematsu legal team, 1983 (l to r)Donald Tamaki, Dale Minami, Karen Kai and Dennis HayashiPhoto Credit: Chris Huie. Photo from PBS Pressroom, Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, http://www.pbs.org.
Dennis Hayashi (photo credit: Monica Lee, Crystal Huie and Madge Bello)
Judge Hayashi led the Department’s efforts to protect and safeguard the civil rights of all Californians, enforcing the Fair Employment and Housing Act, the Unruh Act, and the Ralph Act, which addresses acts of hate violence. In addition, Judge Hayashi is credited with establishing the Department's first-ever Pilot Mediation Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The mediation pilot programs were highly successful and recognized as crucial components of the California government's essential services.
Judge Hayashi’s determination and commitment to the rule of law were built upon a foundation of defending the rights of the underrepresented. As an attorney for more than ten years with the Asian Law Caucus, the oldest public interest legal organization in the country serving the Asian American community, Judge Hayashi litigated numerous precedent-setting cases on behalf of women and minorities. In particular, Judge Hayashi served as co-counsel in the famed case that successfully challenged and overturned Fred Korematsu’s World War II conviction for refusing to report to a Japanese American internment camp. While the Supreme Court in 1944 upheld the constitutionality of the internment in Korematsu v. United States, Judge Hayashi and the Korematsu legal team successfully challenged that ruling 40 years later. Judge Hayashi played an instrumental role in obtaining judicial significance that the incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II was unconstitutional.
Early in his career, Judge Hayashi served as lead counsel in several landmark cases involving the rights of women and minorities. In Henning v. Industrial Welfare Commission, he challenged the imposition of a subminimum wage for tipped employees in California. The case was decided by the California Supreme Court and was ranked as one of the ten most important Supreme Court decisions that year by the California State Bar Association. In Vietnamese Fisherman Association of America v. Yost, Judge Hayashi successfully challenged the constitutionality of a 200-year-old law enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard, which only allows U.S. citizens to fish in Federal waters. Before joining the Clinton Administration, Judge Hayashi served as the National Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, advocating for policies and legislation protecting the rights of Asian Pacific Islander Americans.
Judge Hayashi has also been active in civic organizations. He was elected to serve on the AC Transit Board of Directors, the third-largest bus system in the country. In addition, he has been a member of numerous professional community organizations, including the California Judges Association and the California Asian Pacific American Judges Association. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Coro Foundation, San Francisco Legal Assistance Foundation, and Child Care Law Center.
Judge Hayashi’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from Japan more than 100 years ago. His father’s parents were farmers on Bainbridge Island off Seattle, Washington. His mother’s family grew corn, strawberries, and vegetables on a small farm outside of Los Angeles. Along with his grandparents from both sides of the family, Judge Hayashi’s parents were interned during World War II; his mother in Hart Mountain, Wyoming, and his father at Manzanar, east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in desolate Inyo County.
Judge Dennis Hayashi was sworn into office in January 2009 by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George
Dennis Hayashi with Paul McCartney and Heather Mills.
Judge Hayashi was born in Los Angeles and attended Hamilton High School, where he was elected to student government. He graduated from Occidental College and received his JD from Hastings College of Law. While a law student, he clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Robert Takasugi. He co-founded Nihomachi Legal Outreach (API Legal Outreach) in San Francisco, where it began as a drop-in legal clinic for people who couldn’t afford a private attorney. After graduating from law school Judge Hayashi worked for Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) Local 2 in San Francisco.
Judge Hayashi has had a lifelong interest in the arts. He co-produced Living On Tokyo Time with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steven Okazaki which premiered at Sundance in 1986. Living On Tokyo Time was released in 57 movie theaters in 52 cities nationwide, with long runs in San Francisco, Berkeley, Seattle, and Honolulu. Steven Okazaki met Judge Hayashi while making his documentary Unfinished Business which is about three compelling stories of men who refused to go to internment camps, including Fred Korematsu. Unfinished Business was nominated for Academy Award for best documentary.
Judge Hayashi has received honors from many legal and civil rights organizations for his dedication to the public interest and judicial excellence, including the Alumnus of the Year Award, Occidental College and Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, United States Department of Health and Human Services. Judge Hayashi lives in San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Mary Hayashi, a national healthcare leader and former California State Assemblymember.
Judge Hayashi has received honors from many legal and civil rights organizations for his dedication to the public interest and judicial excellence, including the Alumnus of the Year Award, Occidental College and Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, United States Department of Health and Human Services. Judge Hayashi lives in San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Mary Hayashi, a national healthcare leader and former California State Assemblymember.
