Lee received a Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College in 1994 and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, in 1999.

From 2001 to 2002, she served as a law clerk for Judge Warren J. Ferguson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

President Biden nominated Lee to the seat vacated by Judge William Orrick III, who assumed senior status on May 17, 2023.

[7] During her confirmation hearing, Lee was questioned on a journal article she wrote regarding the treatment of transgender, illegal immigrant, and women prisoners in California.

Lee responded that the article was a summary of remarks made during conference panel discussion and not her own opinions.