Day: March 24, 2017

For Immediate Release
March 21, 2017

For More Information, Contact: 
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
[email protected], 202-775-9555

WASHINGTON — On Monday, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Judge Amul R. Thapar to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. If confirmed, Judge Thapar would be the second South Asian American judge to ever serve on a federal appeals court and the fifth active Asian Pacific American federal appellate Article III judge.

“We congratulate Judge Thapar on the announcement of the President’s intent to nominate him to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit,” said Cyndie M. Chang, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Judge Thapar has a long record of dedicated public service and, during his nine years on the bench, has demonstrated his excellence as a fair jurist who has the integrity and intellect to serve ably on the appellate court.”

After his confirmation by voice vote to his current seat in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Judge Thapar became the nation’s first South Asian American Article III judge in 2008. He was the first, and still is, the only Asian Pacific American Article III judge in the courts encompassed by the Sixth Circuit.

Judge Thapar is a 2015 recipient of the NAPABA Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award. He served as the keynote speaker at the 2007 NAPABA Convention and received the NAPABA Best Under 40 Award. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Thapar was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He began his legal career in private practice following clerkships with Judge S. Arthur Speigel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and Judge Nathaniel R. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is a graduate of Boston University and the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

NAPABA commends President Trump for announcing his intent to nominate Judge Thapar to the Sixth Circuit. NAPABA thanks Senators McConnell and Paul for recommending Judge Thapar to the White House.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of almost 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.

NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).