Hon. Dana M. Sabraw U.S. District Judge, Southern District of California
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Judicial Profile ARASH JOSHUA FULADIAN Hon. Dana M. Sabraw U.S. District Judge, Southern District of California IMAGINE THE IDEAL JUDGE: one who acts with integrity, even-handedness, courtesy, and an abiding dedication to the maj- esty of the law and the administration of justice. Judge Dana M. Sabraw, serv- ing on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, embod- ies the traits we all think of when we imagine the ideal jurist. Proving the apple does not fall far from the tree, Judge Sabraw is a reflection of his parents. His father met his bride-to-be while he was a young Army sol- dier stationed in Japan during the Korean War. In- terracial marriage was not favored at the time, but Judge Sabraw’s maternal grandfather—an enlightened gentleman who was educated at the University of Oregon in the early 1900s—was receptive to the idea; he immediately took a liking to the young soldier and introduced him to his daughter. Shortly thereafter, the couple married in Yokohama, Japan, and relocated to San Rafael, Calif., where Dana Sabraw was born in 1958 and given a Japanese middle name—Makoto— an example for him to follow in his daily life—both in honor of his mother’s family; fittingly, the name then and now. means “truth.” Three years later, the family moved Judge Sabraw’s parents instilled in him a work to Carmichael, Calif., a small suburb just northeast of ethic that is evident to this day. Since his early teen- Sacramento. age years, the judge has rarely missed a day’s work. Childhood was a memorable time for Judge Sa- He bused tables, painted houses, delivered furniture, braw. “It was a great time to be a kid,” he recalls, worked as a cashier in an appliance store and dough- “when kids could roam the neighborhood playing nut shop, worked on the graveyard shift at a local ball and creating innocent mischief without the fears cannery, drove a large delivery truck and distributed and pressures that burden many of today’s children.” soda to supermarkets, and spent summers working as He grew up in an idyllic home along with his older a lifeguard and wrestling coach. All of it was “charac- brother and younger sister; children in the neighbor- ter building,” he says. hood often gathered there and always felt welcome. In high school, Judge Sabraw kept active playing The judge’s father devoted his career to teaching spe- sports, participating in baseball, wrestling, track, and a cial needs children at the kindergarten through sixth youth fitness team that won national honors. Although grade level, and his mother taught English as a second he claims to have been mediocre at all these sports, language to elementary schoolchildren. he confesses he “fumbled around” enough to catch The judge describes his parents as the ideal couple, someone’s eye. During his senior year, he was selected who never raised their voices or uttered an unkind as the grand marshall of Sacramento’s annual Camellia word to each other. They were a model of civility, he Festival Parade because of his athletic success. says, “devoting their lives unconditionally and always Judge Sabraw lived in the Sacramento area until he to their children.” He credits his parents with setting left for college. He attended San Diego State Universi- judge notes that his mother-in-law is an accomplished lawyer, who regularly serves as a judge pro tempore at the San Diego County Superior Court. Judge Sabraw credits his former law partners for shaping the way he practiced law as a young lawyer. They “litigated on the high road,” he says, and they set an example as consummate professionals, who had a lasting impact on his career. He describes his litigation practice and former colleagues with great fondness but confesses that it was his family’s tradition of pub- lic service that lured him to the bench. The judge’s family includes seven schoolteachers (his parents and his brother and sister, among oth- ers) and three other jurists. His uncle, M.O. Sabraw, is a highly respected retired justice of the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Justice M.O. Sabraw’s wife, (l to r) Judge Sabraw with his father, Dr. Liston F. Sabraw, and uncle, Justice Bonnie L. Sabraw, recently retired from the California M.O. Sabraw. Superior Court, County of Alameda, where she served ty and graduated in 1980. Even though he was certain with distinction in the court’s complex civil litigation he wanted to be an attorney, he heeded his father’s department for several years. Justice M.O. Sabraw’s advice—“you have the rest of your life to work”—and son, Ronald M. Sabraw, also enjoyed a distinguished delayed enrolling in law school for one year. During career on the Alameda County Superior Court, serving that year, Judge Sabraw traveled around the country both in the court’s complex civil litigation department in his 1966 Rambler (with no air conditioning), cover- and as its presiding judge. Members of the Northern ing more than 40 states. He describes the experience California contingent of the Sabraw family all current- as a once-in-a-lifetime trip that allowed him to visit ly serve as private mediators in the Bay Area. friends and family throughout the country. Judge Sabraw credits his uncle for his decision to After his cross-country adventure, Judge Sabraw at- become an attorney and then to pursue the bench. tended McGeorge School of Law, where he served At an early age, he observed his uncle on the bench on the Law Review and graduated in the top 10 per- and had many discussions with him about the law. cent of his class. He also met someone who has richly His uncle encouraged him to apply to law school and influenced his life ever since: his wife of 22 years. guided him throughout law school and his career. He They met when she was campaigning for president remains one of Judge Sabraw’s strongest role models of the student body, and, the judge notes with pride, to this day. she won. He was immediately smitten when they met, Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Judge Dana Sabraw and they were engaged to be married just five months to the North County Municipal Court of San Diego in later. The judge quickly points out (with an impish 1995, and he served as presiding judge of that court grin) that his decision “was not at all impetuous as in 1998. Later that year, Gov. Wilson elevated him to [he] knew then, as now, that she was perfect.” In- a seat on the San Diego County Superior Court. While deed, they have honored and supported each other on the state court, Judge Sabraw presided over nearly ever since. 200 jury trials, including numerous complex civil and After law school, Judge Sabraw moved to Santa Bar- capital felony trials. He served as a criminal supervis- bara, where he began practicing law at Price, Postel ing judge for one year and as a direct civil calendar & Parma, purportedly the oldest law firm on the West judge—handling cases from initial filing through dis- Coast. His practice focused on securities and business position—for two years. litigation in state and federal courts. President George W. Bush nominated him to the fed- In 1988, the Sabraws moved to San Diego to be eral bench in May 2003, and the judge was unanimously closer to both their families, and today their parents confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 25, 2003, exactly and extended families all reside in the area. Judge eight years after first taking his seat on the state bench. Sabraw joined the international law firm of Baker & He notes with pride the richness of San Diego’s South- McKenzie, where he later became a partner, handling ern District bench and its tradition of excellent judges, securities and “bad faith” insurance litigation. His wife including its highly esteemed senior judges: Howard B. joined the San Diego County District Attorney’s Of- Turrentine, Gordon Thompson Jr., William B. Enright, fice and now serves as chief of the district attorney’s Rudi M. Brewster, and Napoleon A. Jones Jr. largest branch office. Judge Sabraw’s mother-in-law Today, Judge Sabraw relishes his role of shepherd- and sister-in-law also practice law in San Diego; the ing the administration of justice at the federal level, where his deep respect for the judicial process mani- courtroom and respect for all the parties and lawyers fests itself in the respect he shows attorneys and liti- involved.” He noted that the judge “places the law in gants who appear before him. He is widely known very high regard and as a result, everyone around him for his patience and for his attentive ear, as well as does the same.” for running a courtroom with a calm presence that “The importance of resolving complex trials in a compels awe and respect—a courtroom where an at- dignified and appropriate way cannot be overstated, mosphere of solemnity and serenity combine to serve both for the litigants and from a societal standpoint,” justice. the judge notes. “These trials present a great opportu- Judge Sabraw believes that the hallmark of a civi- nity to showcase our justice system, where enormous- lized society is determined by the manner in which ly complex and emotional disputes are resolved ef- it resolves disputes and that our justice system—in ficiently and in a manner that allows litigants to move which the rule of law is applied transparently, fair- on knowing they had an opportunity to be fully and ly, and without regard to status—has become a role fairly heard.” model for all.