The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has selected six recipients of the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award. The award recognizes the achievements, commitment, and leadership of lawyers in the Asian Pacific American community.
Justice Mary Yu was one of the recipients. She is the first in her family to receive a college education, as well as the first Latina, the first Asian, and first member of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. She was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014, and subsequently elected for the remainder of a two-year term. Justice Yu joined the Court after more than 14 years as a trial court judge in King County (Washington) Superior Court.
The 2016 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Awards were presented on Nov. 4, 2016, at a special ceremony during the 2016 NAPABA Convention in San Diego, to Justice Yu and the following recipients:
- Honorable Gail Chang Bohr
- Honorable Randall T. Eng
- Janice Fukai
- Honorable Laura C. Liu (awarded posthumously)
- Honorable Sri Srinivasan
