Jacqueline Nguyen

Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen (; born May 25, 1965) is an active United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the first Asian woman on a United States federal appellate court.

Early life and education

Born Hong-Ngoc Thi Nguyen in Da Lat, Vietnam, her father was a South Vietnamese Army major who had worked closely with U.S. intelligence officials during the Vietnam War, she has 6 siblings. Nguyen moved to the United States when she was 10 as a refugee, after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. She was airlifted with her family to Camp Pendleton where they lived in a tent city shelter and were provided support for several months before being resettled. Her family later opened a doughnut shop in Glendale, California, where Nguyen worked everyday after school and the weekends to help her parents.

Nguyen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1987 from Occidental College. She then earned a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law in 1991. On December 1, 2009, the United States Senate confirmed Nguyen by a 97–0 vote. She received her commission on December 4, 2009. The Senate confirmed Nguyen by a 91–3 vote on May 7, 2012. She received her commission on May 14, 2012. She is also the first Vietnamese-American federal judge, and the first Asian-Pacific American female federal judge in California. In 2012, she was speculated to be a candidate for the Supreme Court. In February 2016, The New York Times identified her as a potential nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia.

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.

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.

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.

On September 23, 2021, Nguyen reversed a ruling by District Judge David O. Carter that would have required Los Angeles to provide housing for the homeless on Skid Row. Nguyen ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that plaintiffs had suffered racial or other types of discrimination.

On December 22, 2025, Nguyen authored the ruling upholding the convictions of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani.

Personal life Nguyen's husband, Pio S. Kim, was also a federal prosecutor. She has two children.