Eric Chunyee Tung

Eric Chunyee Tung (born 1984) is an American attorney and jurist who serves as an active circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Appointed to the federal bench in 2025 by President Donald J. Trump, Judge Tung previously built a career that combined high‑level appellate practice at a major law firm with extensive experience in the Department of Justice and prestigious clerkships at both the appellate and Supreme Court levels.

Early life and legal career

Eric Tung was born in 1984 in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He pursued an undergraduate education at Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 2006. Following his time at Yale, Tung spent a year studying Mandarin Chinese at Peking University, an experience that broadened his linguistic and cultural perspective before he entered law school.

Tung attended the University of Chicago Law School, graduating in 2010 with a Juris Doctor earned with high honors. While there, he served as a managing editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif, an honor society recognizing academic excellence among law graduates.

After completing his legal education, Tung entered the federal judiciary as a clerk for Judge Neil Gorsuch on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 2010 to 2011. He subsequently clerked for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court during the 2012‑2013 term, gaining exposure to the nation’s highest court. Following a period in government service and private practice, Tung returned to the bench as a law clerk for Justice Gorsuch again from 2017 to 2018 after Gorsuch’s elevation to the Supreme Court.

Between his clerkships, Tung served in several capacities within the United States Department of Justice. From 2011 to 2012 he was a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General, assisting with appellate advocacy on behalf of the federal government. He later worked as an assistant United States attorney in the Central District of California, based in Los Angeles, from 2016 to 2017, where he prosecuted federal crimes and represented the United States in civil matters. In 2017 he held a position as counsel in the Office of Legal Policy, contributing to the development of departmental policy initiatives.

In 2019 Tung joined the Los Angeles office of Jones Day, one of the nation’s largest law firms, as a partner. His practice at Jones Day emphasized appellate litigation and a broad range of substantive areas, including commercial disputes, qui tam actions, health‑care law, product liability, and emerging issues in cryptocurrency regulation. This combination of high‑stakes appellate work and exposure to complex regulatory matters positioned him as a practitioner with deep familiarity with both the procedural and substantive dimensions of federal law.

Federal appellate service

President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate Tung to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 2, 2025. The nomination was intended to fill the vacancy created by Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta’s departure from the bench. Following the presidential announcement, Tung underwent a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 30, 2025.

The committee reported his nomination favorably to the full Senate on September 11, 2025, with a vote of twelve in favor and ten against. The Senate subsequently invoked cloture on the nomination by a margin of fifty‑one to forty‑six, limiting further debate. On November 5, 2025, the Senate confirmed Tung to the Ninth Circuit by a vote of fifty‑two to forty‑five. He received his judicial commission two days later, on November 7, 2025, and has served as an active circuit judge since that time.

Judge Tung occupies the seat designated as CA90109 on the Ninth Circuit, which is the nation’s largest federal appellate jurisdiction covering a broad geographic area that includes several western states and territories. As a member of this court, he participates in panels that review decisions from district courts, administrative agencies, and certain specialized tribunals, applying federal law to resolve a wide array of legal issues.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Given his recent elevation to the appellate bench, Judge Tung’s body of written opinions is still developing. However, his professional background provides insight into the perspectives he brings to judicial decision‑making. His experience in appellate advocacy at Jones Day, particularly in complex commercial litigation, health‑care regulation, product liability, and cryptocurrency matters, suggests a familiarity with intricate statutory schemes and emerging technology issues that frequently arise before the Ninth Circuit.

His prior service as an assistant United States attorney and as counsel in the Office of Legal Policy also equips him with practical insight into federal criminal prosecution and policy formulation. Moreover, his clerkships for both a future Supreme Court Justice (Neil Gorsuch) and a former Supreme Court Justice (Antonin Scalia) exposed him to differing judicial philosophies and interpretive approaches at the highest level, potentially informing his analytical framework on the appellate bench.

Beyond his professional qualifications, Judge Tung’s personal background includes a conversion to Roman Catholicism that was influenced by the Opus Dei movement. While religious affiliation does not dictate judicial conduct, such biographical detail contributes to an understanding of the values and experiences that shape his worldview outside the courtroom.

As a relatively new member of the Ninth Circuit, Judge Tung’s long‑term impact on the development of federal law will be observed through his participation in panel decisions, authored opinions, and contributions to the court’s jurisprudential discourse. His blend of high‑profile appellate practice, government service, and mentorship under prominent jurists positions him as a judge with both technical expertise and exposure to varied legal traditions. Over time, scholars and practitioners will assess how his rulings influence areas such as commercial regulation, health‑care law, and the evolving legal landscape surrounding digital assets, thereby shaping the legacy of his tenure on one of the nation’s most consequential appellate courts.