Kay was born on July 5, 1932, in
Honolulu,
Hawaii. He attended
Princeton University, where he received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1957 and the
UC Berkeley School of Law where he received a
Bachelor of Laws in 1960. He served as a
United States Marine Corps Corporal from 1953 to 1955. He was in private practice in Honolulu from 1960 to 1986, and was director of the
Legal Aid Society in Honolulu from 1968 to 1971.
Federal judicial service Kay was nominated by
Ronald Reagan on July 3, 1986, to a new seat created by 98 Stat. 333 on the
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on September 12, 1986, and received his commission on September 15, 1986. He served as chief judge from 1991 to 1999 and assumed
senior status on January 2, 2000. Kay presided over two federal civil rights lawsuits against
Kamehameha Schools,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, 780 F. Supp. 1317 and John Doe v. Kamehameha, 295 F. Supp. 2d 1141, in which he both ruled in favor of Kamehameha. ==Personal life==