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Eric Tung

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Eric Tung

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Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Tenure

2025 - Present

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Education

Bachelor's

Yale University, 2006

Law

University of Chicago Law School, 2010

Personal
Birthplace
California


Eric Tung is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on July 15, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on November 4, 2025, by a vote of 52-46.[1][2][3][4] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Tung was a lawyer at Jones Day's Los Angeles, California office.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2025-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On July 15, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Tung to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[2][5] He was confirmed by a 52-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2025.[3] Tung received commission on November 7, 2025.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Eric Tung
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 112 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: July 15, 2025
ApprovedAABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: July 30, 2025
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: September 11, 2025 
ApprovedAConfirmed: November 4, 2025
ApprovedAVote: 52-46


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Eric Tung on November 4, 2025, on a vote of 52-46.[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Eric Tung confirmation vote (November 4, 2025)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 0 44 1
Ends.png Republican 52 0 1
Grey.png Independent 0 2 0
Total 52[6] 46 2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Tung's nomination on July 30, 2025. The committee voted to advance Tung's nomination to the full Senate on September 11, 2025.[7]

Nomination

On July 2, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Tung to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The president officially nominated Tung on July 15, 2025.

Tung was nominated to replace Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta, who assumed senior status upon Tung's commission.[8]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Tung well qualified.[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Early life and education

Tung was born in Woodland Hills, California. He obtained a B.A. from Yale University in 2006 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2010.

Professional career

About the court

Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals
US-CourtOfAppeals-9thCircuit-Seal.svg
Judgeships
Posts: 29
Judges: 29
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Mary Murguia
Active judges: Bridget S. Bade, Mark J. Bennett, Daniel Bress, Patrick J. Bumatay, Consuelo Maria Callahan, Morgan Christen, Daniel P. Collins, Roopali Desai, Danielle Forrest, Michelle T. Friedland, Ronald Gould, Anthony Johnstone, Lucy H. Koh, Kenneth Kiyul Lee, Sal Mendoza Jr., Eric D. Miller, Mary Murguia, Ryan D. Nelson, Jacqueline Nguyen, John B. Owens, Johnnie Rawlinson, Gabriel Sanchez, Milan Smith, Jennifer Sung, Holly Thomas, Eric Tung, Lawrence VanDyke, Kim McLane Wardlaw, Ana I. de Alba

Senior judges:
Carlos Bea, Marsha Berzon, Jay Bybee, William Canby, Richard Clifton, Ferdinand Francis Fernandez, William Fletcher, Susan Graber, Michael Hawkins, Andrew Hurwitz, Sandra Ikuta, Andrew Kleinfeld, Margaret McKeown, Diarmuid O'Scannlain, Richard Paez, Mary Schroeder, Barry Silverman, Randy Smith, Richard Tallman, A. Wallace Tashima, Sidney Thomas, Stephen Trott, John Clifford Wallace, Dorothy Wright Nelson


The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Ninth Circuit is the largest appellate court with 29 authorized judicial posts. Appeals are heard in the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse in San Francisco, California, the Richard H. Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, California, the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, and the William K. Nakamura Courthouse in Seattle, Washington.

One judge of the Ninth Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Anthony Kennedy was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan (R).

The Ninth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Elena Kagan is the circuit justice for the Ninth Circuit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:

It also has appellate jurisdiction over the following territorial courts:

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Reuters, "Trump names two new nominees to serve as appeals court judges," July 2, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," July 2, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Congress.gov, "PN400-3 — 119th Congress (2025-2026) — Eric Chunyee Tung — The Judiciary," accessed November 6, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Tung, Eric Chunyee," accessed November 18, 2025
  5. ↑ The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," accessed July 15, 2025
  6. ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
  7. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Executive Business Meeting," accessed September 11, 2025
  8. ↑ United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed March 10, 2025
  9. ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed August 28, 2025

Political offices
Preceded by
Sandra Ikuta 		United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
2025-Present		 Succeeded by
-
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