President Donald Trump is expected to appoint Amul Thapar, an Indian American district judge in the US state of Kentucky, as a judge on court of appeals for the sixth circuit, a high court.
If confirmed, Thapar will be the second Indian American on a circuit court of appeal, joining Sri Srinivasan, who is a judge on the DC circuit court; nominated by President Barack Obama.
Thapar was also on Trump’s list of candidates for a vacancy on the Supreme Court, for which he eventually picked Neil Gorsuch, who is now going through his confirmation process.
Thapar, 47, was born in Detroit to immigrants from India, Raj Thapar and Veena Bhalla.
He went to college in Boston, and studied law at University of California, Berkeley.
Thapar was appointed to the district court for the eastern district of Kentucky in 2008 by former President George W Bush. He had earlier served as US attorney for the eastern district of Kentucky, and assistant US Attorney in the southern district of Ohio and Washington DC.
“I applaud the President for announcing his intent to nominate my friend, Judge Amul Thapar, to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, majority leader in US senate, in a statement on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}“I applaud the President for announcing his intent to nominate my friend, Judge Amul Thapar, to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, majority leader in US senate, in a statement on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}“Throughout his already impressive career of public service, Amul has shown an incredible intellect and an unshakable dedication to the law.”
The South Asian Bar Association’s Vichal Kumar welcomed the expected announcement, saying in a statement, “Judge Thapar is a respected and thoughtful jurist who has long served as role model for the South Asian and greater legal community.”