Ryan Y. Park

Ryan Young Park (born 1983) is an American lawyer who served as the solicitor general of North Carolina from 2022 to 2025. In 2024, he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, but, lacking support in the US Senate for confirmation, his nomination did not see a vote.

Park represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, a companion case to Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Early life and education The son of Korean immigrants, Park was born in Fridley, Minnesota, in 1983 and grew up in Shoreview, Minnesota.

Park enrolled at Amherst College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science with distinction in 2005 as president of the college's student government. From 2006 to 2007, he was a Fulbright Scholar teaching English at a boys' school in South Korea.

Park was a lecturer at Duke University and the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Failed nomination to court of appeals

On July 3, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Park to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd issued a joint statement objecting to the nomination. Tillis said he had informed the White House in April that he had obtained enough support to block Park's nomination, but that the White House had declined to put forth an alternative nominee with bipartisan support. On July 8, 2024, Park's nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Park to the seat being vacated by Judge James Andrew Wynn, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On July 31, 2024, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During his confirmation hearing, Park faced criticism over his work for then-North Carolina attorney general Josh Stein. Republican members of the committee "took aim at Park's record as North Carolina solicitor general, trying to position him as a political activist rather than an impartial arbiter of the law." U.S. Senator John Kennedy questioned whether Park had failed to zealously defend a North Carolina voter identification law in his role with the attorney general's office, or if he had intentionally thrown the case for political purposes. On November 14, 2024, his nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 party line vote. Lacking the votes for confirmation, his nomination did not see a vote before the full Senate. On December 12, 2024, the White House officially withdrew his nomination.

Personal life Park is married to Eunee Kathleen, whom he met while they were both undergraduates at Amherst College.