President Donald Trump appointed Amul R. Thapar to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit following Senate confirmation on May 25, the White House announced Thursday.
Thapar, a Detroit-born son of Indian-American immigrants is the first South Asian Article III judge in American history. Article III judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Thapar’s appointment is for life with “good behavior” in accordance with Article III of the Constitution.
Thapar gained experience on the federal bench serving as judge on the District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, as well as serving as the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Kentucky and Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Ohio and the District of Columbia.
Before federal employment Thapar worked in a private legal practice and clerked for Judge Arthur Spiegel of the Southern District of Ohio and Judge Nathaniel Jones of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Thapar attended Boston College where he received his BS in 1991, later receiving a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.