Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointment of John H. Chun to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division 1. He will replace Judge Michael Trickey, who is retiring.
Chun has served as a judge on the King County Superior Court since 2014, where he is currently the assistant chief criminal judge. He has served as a trial judge for the criminal department, the Unified Family Court, and the Maleng Regional Justice Center. He has also served on the court’s personnel, rules, technology, and ex parte committees.
Before his judicial career, Chun was in private practice, focusing on complex commercial and employment litigation. He was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) and Summit Law Group.
While in private practice, Chun was recognized as an AV Rated attorney by Martindale–Hubbell, a Washington Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation, a Top 100 Washington Super Lawyer, and a 40 Under Forty honoree by the Puget Sound Business Journal. Before pursuing his litigation practice, Chun served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Eugene A. Wright on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
“John has earned a strong and respected reputation as a talented jurist on the King County Superior Court and I look forward to seeing his contributions to the appellate bench,” Inslee said.
Chun’s community involvement has included serving on the boards of the Judicial Institute and the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. Over the course of his career, he has worked to mentor young people of color to pursue higher education, including law degrees.
Chun received his law degree from Cornell Law School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University.
His appointment is effective September 2018.