Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen

Jacqueline Hong‑Ngoc Nguyen is an active United States circuit judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012, she became the first Asian‑American woman to serve on a federal appellate court and the first Vietnamese‑American to hold a federal judgeship. Her career spans private practice, service as a federal prosecutor, state trial‑court judging, and more than a decade of appellate work, during which she has participated in decisions covering immigration, criminal procedure, consumer protection, and civil rights.

Early life and legal career

Born Hong‑Ngoc Thi Nguyen on May 25, 1965, in Da Lat, Vietnam, she was the daughter of a South Vietnamese Army major who worked closely with United States intelligence officials during the Vietnam War. Following the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Nguyen and her six siblings arrived in the United States as refugees. The family was airlifted to Camp Pendleton, where they lived temporarily in a tent city before being resettled in the Los Angeles area, ultimately settling in La Crescenta‑Montrose. Her parents later opened a doughnut shop in Glendale, and Nguyen helped by working after school and on weekends.

Nguyen pursued higher education in California, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English from Occidental College in 1987. She continued her studies at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, receiving a Juris Doctor in 1991. After admission to the bar, she entered private practice as a litigation associate with Musick, Peeler & Garrett from 1991 to 1995. In that role she concentrated on civil litigation involving commercial disputes, intellectual‑property matters, and construction‑defect claims.

In 1995 Nguyen began a career in federal prosecution as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Assigned initially to the Public Corruption and Government Fraud section, she oversaw prosecutions related to fraud against the Department of Defense. Later she served as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes division, where she also contributed to training new prosecutors within the district. Her tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded in August 2002.

That same month, Governor Gray Davis appointed Nguyen to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, making her the first Vietnamese‑American woman to serve on that state trial court. She was assigned to a courtroom in Alhambra, California, where she presided over a broad docket of civil and criminal matters.

Federal appellate service

Nguyen’s federal judicial career began with a nomination by President Barack Obama on July 31 2009 to fill a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Central District of California left by Judge Nora Margaret Manella. Senator Dianne Feinstein recommended her for the position. After a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 23, 2009, the committee reported the nomination favorably on October 15. The full Senate confirmed Nguyen unanimously on December 1, 2009, with a vote of 97‑0, and she received her commission three days later. She served as a district judge until May 15 2012, when she was elevated to the appellate bench.

President Obama nominated Nguyen to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 22 2011 to fill a seat designated CA93001. The Senate confirmed her by a vote of 91‑3 on May 7 2012, and she received her commission on May 14 2012. Her appointment marked several historic firsts: she became the first Asian‑American woman to sit on a federal appellate court, the first Vietnamese‑American federal judge, and the first Asian‑Pacific American female federal judge in California. Throughout her service, Nguyen has remained an active member of the Ninth Circuit, contributing to panels that address a wide range of legal issues.

In addition to her judicial duties, Nguyen’s professional profile attracted attention as a potential nominee for higher office. In 2012 she was mentioned as a possible candidate for the United States Supreme Court, and in February 2016 The New York Times identified her among those considered to replace Justice Antonin Scalia following his death.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Judge Nguyen’s appellate opinions reflect engagement with complex questions of immigration law, criminal justice, consumer protection, and municipal policy. On September 3 2015, she authored an opinion granting relief to a transgender Mexican national who faced a credible risk of torture if returned to Mexico, joining Judges Harry Pregerson and Barrington D. Parker Jr. in finding that the petitioner had satisfied the requisite burden of proof.

In December 2017, Nguyen partially dissented from a panel decision that halted an execution on the basis of the defendant’s mental health, indicating disagreement with the majority’s approach to the procedural issues surrounding capital punishment. Her dissent underscored her willingness to scrutinize the standards applied in death‑penalty cases.

Consumer protection matters also appeared before her. On June 6 2019, Nguyen ruled against automotive manufacturers Hyundai and Kia, concluding that their statements about fuel‑economy performance were misleading and that the California law at issue was applicable despite the companies’ arguments to the contrary. This decision reinforced regulatory oversight of corporate advertising practices.

Municipal housing policy formed another area of her jurisprudence. In September 2021, Nguyen reversed a district court ruling that had required the city of Los Angeles to provide additional housing for homeless individuals on Skid Row. She held that plaintiffs had not presented sufficient evidence of racial or other discrimination to satisfy the legal standard, thereby limiting the scope of judicial intervention in local homelessness initiatives.

More recently, on December 22 2025, Nguyen authored an opinion upholding the convictions of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani, affirming lower‑court findings in a high‑profile corporate fraud case. This ruling illustrated her role in adjudicating matters with significant public and economic impact.

Beyond specific cases, Judge Nguyen’s broader legacy lies in her pioneering representation within the federal judiciary. As the first Asian‑American woman on an appellate bench, she has contributed to diversifying the composition of the nation’s highest courts, offering perspectives shaped by her experience as a refugee and immigrant. Her career trajectory—from a family that rebuilt its life after displacement to a position influencing nationwide legal precedent—serves as a notable example of public service.

Nguyen’s personal life includes marriage to Pio S. Kim, who also served as a federal prosecutor, and together they have two children. While maintaining an active judicial docket, she continues to reside in California, where her professional and familial roots remain intertwined with the communities that shaped her early years.

Through decades of service at multiple levels of the judiciary, Jacqueline Hong‑Ngoc Nguyen has left an indelible imprint on the legal landscape of the Ninth Circuit and beyond. Her decisions continue to affect a wide array of litigants and policy areas, while her historic firsts underscore ongoing efforts to reflect the nation’s diversity within its courts.