Joanne Motoike honored by Orange Coast Magazine
Joanne Motoike (’90, B.A. social ecology), associate justice on the 4th District Court of Appeal, Division 3, has been named a “Kickass Woman” by Orange Coast Magazine.
The magazine published the following about the alumna:
BONA FIDES: During World War II, the government interned Motoike’s father, who was raised on a farm, and other family members in the camps that held Japanese American citizens. In college at UC Irvine, Motoike followed an unspoken urge to become a lawyer, wanting to give people like them a voice. She spent 17 years as an Orange County public defender, a stint interrupted by two years in Holland as a United Nations trial lawyer. In 2011, a friend encouraged her to apply for the judicial bench, and she won an appointment from then-Gov. Jerry Brown. While a Superior Court judge for nearly a decade, Motoike worked to make sure people felt heard and had a fair opportunity in court. She followed three guiding principles gleaned from judges she admired: be a team player, be open and listen to both sides, and be consistent. During a tenure as presiding judge of Orange County Juvenile Court, her goal was to improve outcomes for incarcerated youth. That led to the 2019 creation of the collaborative Youth Development Court, now a model for the state. Motoike made history last June, joining the appellate panel that reviews the county’s trial court decisions.
IN HER WORDS: “It’s huge for me personally. It’s also, I think, huge in the sense that I am the first Asian American Pacific Islander (on the appellate court for Orange County). I believe I’m the first woman of color. I’m hopeful, because it’s really diversifying the bench. … All I can hope for is to continue to commit myself and stick to all the reasons I sought this position. My background, my family history causes me to be ever mindful of the impact appellate courts have, not only on individuals but our community.”