Kathleen Akao, the first Asian-American and first woman to become a Superior Court judge in Santa Cruz County, died Sunday in Santa Cruz's Dominican Hospital.
Akao, the court's presiding judge, in 1994 also became the only person in the county's history to unseat a sitting judge.
Akao, 57, was fighting bronchitis before going to the hospital Sunday for tests, said Judge Heather Morse, who will take over as presiding judge.
The cause of death had not been determined as of late Monday. Akao, who was widowed, leaves a grown son, Kristoffer. Funeral arrangements were pending.
Details here from the San Jose Mercury News.