American judge (born 1965)
Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Hồng Ngọc; born May 25, 1965) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California from 2009 to 2012 and as a California superior court judge from 2002 to 2009.
Early life and education
Born Hong-Ngoc Thi Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Thị Hồng Ngọc) in Da Lat, Vietnam, Nguyen moved to the United States when she was 10, after the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975.[1] The daughter of a South Vietnamese army major who had worked closely with U.S. intelligence officials, Nguyen moved with her family first to an army tent at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where she lived for several months.[1] They ultimately settled in the La Crescenta-Montrose area of Los Angeles.[2][3] Her family later opened a doughnut shop in Glendale, California, where Nguyen worked throughout high school and college.[4][5]
Nguyen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1987 from Occidental College.[1][2][6] She then earned a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law in 1991.[6][5]
Professional career
From 1991 until 1995, Nguyen worked in private law practice, specializing in civil litigation as a litigation associate at the firm Musick, Peeler & Garrett.[1][6] In particular, she focused on commercial disputes, intellectual property and construction-defect cases.[2] From 1995 until August 2002, Nguyen served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California. She joined the U.S. Attorney's office in its Public Corruption and Government Fraud section, overseeing United States Department of Defense fraud prosecutions.[1] In her final years in the U.S. Attorney's office, Nguyen also held the role of Deputy Chief of the General Crimes section, training new prosecutors in the Central District.[1][6] In August 2002, Nguyen was appointed by then-California Gov. Gray Davis to be a Superior Court of Los Angeles County judge.[6] Nguyen became the first-ever Vietnamese-American woman appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[1] She had been based in Alhambra, California.[7][5]
Federal judicial service
District court service
On July 31, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Nguyen to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California,[6] vacated by Judge Nora Margaret Manella, who resigned in 2006 to join the California Courts of Appeal. Senator Dianne Feinstein had recommended Nguyen's nomination.[7] On September 23, 2009, Nguyen appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which reported her nomination on October 15, 2009.[8] On December 1, 2009, the United States Senate confirmed Nguyen by a 97–0 vote.[9][10] She received her commission on December 4, 2009.[5] On May 15, 2012, her service on the District Court terminated due to her elevation to the court of appeals.[5]
Ninth Circuit service
On September 22, 2011, President Obama nominated Nguyen to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[11] The Senate confirmed Nguyen by a 91–3 vote on May 7, 2012.[12] She received her commission on May 14, 2012.[5]
She is the first Asian-American female to serve as a federal appellate judge.[13] She is also the first Vietnamese-American federal judge, and the first Asian-Pacific American female federal judge in California.[14] In 2012, she was speculated to be a candidate for the Supreme Court.[15]
In February 2016, The New York Times identified her as a potential nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia.[16]
Notable cases
On September 3, 2015, Nguyen granted relief to Edin Avendano-Hernandez, a transgender Mexican, because she showed adequate proof that she would likely face torture if deported back to Mexico. Nguyen was joined by Harry Pregerson and Barrington D. Parker Jr.[17]
On December 29, 2017, Nguyen partially dissented when Stephen Reinhardt and Harry Pregerson blocked an execution due to the mental health of the criminal defendant.[18]
On June 6, 2019, Nguyen ruled against Hyundai and Kia, ruling that they lied about their fuel economy and did not show that the California law would not apply.[19]
Personal life
Nguyen's husband, Pio S. Kim, was also a federal prosecutor.[1][2]
