Amul Roger Thapar

Amul Roger Thapar (born 1969) is an American jurist who serves as a United States circuit judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed to the appellate bench in 2017 by President Donald J. Trump, he previously held a federal district judgeship for the Eastern District of Kentucky and served as the United States attorney for that district. His career has spanned private practice, federal prosecution, academia, and the judiciary, and he is noted for his clear‑written opinions and involvement in legal education.

Early life and legal career

Thapar was born on April 29, 1969, in Troy, Michigan, to Punjabi immigrants from India. He was raised in Toledo, Ohio, where his father, Raj Thapar, operated a heating and air‑conditioning supply business that Amul helped run by driving the company truck. His mother, Veena Bhalla, owned a restaurant before selling it after the September 11 attacks and subsequently working as a civilian clinical social worker assisting veterans.

After completing high school in 1987, Thapar attended Boston College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. He began legal studies at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law but transferred after one year to the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor in 1994.

Following law school, Thapar clerked for Judge S. Arthur Spiegel of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio from 1994 to 1996 and then for Sixth Circuit Judge Nathaniel R. Jones from 1996 to 1997. He entered private practice at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., between 1997 and 1999, during which time he performed pro bono representation for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Concurrently, he taught trial advocacy at Georgetown University Law Center (1999‑2000) and served as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Columbia.

From 2000 to 2001 Thapar was general counsel to Equalfooting.com, after which he returned to private practice with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Cincinnati, Ohio (2001‑2002). Throughout this period he maintained a connection to academia as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, first from 1995 to 1997 and later from 2002 to 2006.

In 2002 Thapar rejoined federal prosecution as an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, a position he held until 2006. During this tenure he was appointed to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), where he chaired the Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture subcommittee and participated in several other working groups, including those focused on terrorism, violent crime, and child exploitation. He also led the Southern Ohio Mortgage Fraud Task Force, which secured convictions against roughly forty individuals involved in mortgage fraud, and oversaw an investigation that dismantled a scheme supplying fraudulent driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

Thapar’s prosecutorial experience culminated with his nomination as United States attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, a role he filled from 2006 until his elevation to the federal bench in 2007. In this capacity he continued to engage with AGAC initiatives and oversaw significant criminal prosecutions across the district’s three courthouses in Covington, London, and Pikeville.

Federal appellate service

President George W. Bush nominated Thapar on May 24, 2007 to fill a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky created by Judge Joseph Martin Hood’s departure. The American Bar Association rated him “Unanimously Well Qualified,” with one committee member abstaining. The Senate confirmed his appointment on December 13, 2007, and he received his commission on January 4, 2008. At the time of his commissioning, the Trump administration later described Thapar as the first federal judge of South Asian descent.

Thapar served as a district judge for more than nine years, hearing cases throughout eastern Kentucky and occasionally traveling to other jurisdictions, including Texas and the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, to assist with caseloads. He also maintained an active teaching schedule, serving as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Northern Kentucky University. His participation in Federalist Society programs further reflected his engagement with the broader legal community.

On May 25, 2017 President Donald J. Trump nominated Thapar to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, filling seat CA61202. The Senate confirmed him on May 25, 2017, and he received his commission shortly thereafter. This appointment marked Trump’s first selection for a federal appellate court and his second judicial appointment overall after Justice Neil Gorsuch. Thapar has served continuously as an active circuit judge since that time.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Judge Thapar’s opinions are frequently noted for their accessible language and vivid analogies intended to resonate with lay readers. In a jurisdiction‑allegiance case concerning the statutory amount‑in‑controversy threshold, he observed that the disputed sum was “exactly one penny short of the jurisdictional minimum,” likening the missing cent to coins that “tend to sit at the bottom of change jars or vanish into the cracks between couch cushions.” In another decision addressing fraudulent misrepresentation in a bar setting, he illustrated the conduct by describing how a patron who expected a premium whiskey received a lower‑quality spirit, thereby constituting fraud.

Beyond his written opinions, Thapar’s legacy includes extensive contributions to legal education. He has lectured at institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and the University of Virginia, and has been invited to speak at numerous law schools across the country. His teaching portfolio reflects a commitment to mentoring future lawyers and judges, while his involvement in professional organizations demonstrates ongoing participation in the development of federal jurisprudence.

Thapar’s career trajectory—from a first‑generation American upbringing to roles as prosecutor, district judge, and appellate jurist—has positioned him as a notable figure within the federal judiciary. Discussions about potential elevation to the United States Supreme Court have occasionally mentioned his name, underscoring the broader recognition of his judicial experience. While he continues to serve on the Sixth Circuit, his contributions to case law, legal scholarship, and public service collectively shape his enduring impact on the American legal system.