J. Uduch Sengebau Senior (born 1965, Ngerbeched,

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

) is a Palauan

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who has served as the

Vice President of Palau Vice President of Palau is the second-highest position in the executive branch of the government of Palau, after the President of Palau, president. The vice president is elected in popular elections separate from presidential elections. When ...

from 2021 to 2025. She was previously a member of the

Senate of Palau The Senate of Palau is the upper house of the Palau National Congress (''Olbiil era Kelulau''). The Senate has 13 members serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. Since January 2025, the Senate has 15 members. No political parties ...

from 2013 until she took office as Vice President. Senior attended a Catholic primary school in Palau before receiving her high school education in

Waiakea High School Waiākea High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Hilo, Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii. The school's mascot is the Warrior. It is part of the Hawaii State Department of Education. Founded in 1976, the school graduated its first class in 1 ...

, Hawaii, from where she graduated in 1983. She subsequently studied at the

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...

, receiving a Bachelor of Arts and then graduating from the

William S. Richardson School of Law The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is named after its patriarch, former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice Will ...

with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree in 1993. She returned to work in Palau as a staff attorney of the Micronesian Legal Services Corporation, and also worked as an assistant attorney general, an associate judge of the Land Court and an associate justice pro tem of the appellate division of the

Supreme Court of Palau The Supreme Court of Palau is the Supreme court, highest court of Palau. Article X of the Constitution of Palau, Constitution vests the Supreme Court with judicial power and provides for its operation and jurisdiction. The Supreme Court is divi ...

. She was senior judge of the Land Court from 2003 until her resignation in 2007. Senior then worked as a lawyer in private practice until her election to parliament. She was first elected to the Senate at the 2012 election. In her first term, she introduced a bill mandating

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...

and banning discrimination against pregnant women, and advocated for

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

in public office. She also established a

non-government organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, Centre for Women’s Empowerment Palau, to support women in leadership positions. She was re-elected at the 2016 election. She was formerly the Chairperson of the Senate Judiciary & Governmental Affairs Committee, but resigned in July 2017. In addition to the portfolio of

since January 2021, she was assigned as

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

, and was reassigned in July 2021 as Justice Minister of Palau.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senior, Uduch Sengebau 1965 births Living people 21st-century Palauan politicians 21st-century Palauan women politicians Female foreign ministers Ministers of state of Palau Members of the Senate of Palau Justice ministers of Palau Palauan lawyers Palauan women's rights activists People from Koror University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Vice presidents of Palau Women judges Women vice presidents William S. Richardson School of Law alumni