---
title: "Amul Roger Thapar | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Amul Roger Thapar

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- State: National federal courts
- Role: U.S. Circuit Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, E.D. Kentucky, 2008-present
- U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, 2006-2007
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of Ohio, 2002-2006
- Adjunct professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2002-2006
- Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1999-2000
- Law clerk, Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1996-1997
- Adjunct professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1995-1997
- Law clerk, Hon. S. Arthur Spiegel, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, 1994-1996
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

### Education

- University of California, Berkeley School of Law — J.D. (1994)
- Boston College — B.S. (1991)
- Ohio State University

### Additional information

- 4, 2008 – May 30, 2017), appointed by George W. Bush.
- Private practice in Washington, D.C. (1997–1999) and Cincinnati, OH (2001–2002).
- General counsel,, 2000-2001
- Trial advocacy instructor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1999-2000
- Date of birth: 1969-01-01
- Served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee during his tenure as U.S. Attorney.
- Notable: Trump’s first Court of Appeals appointment and second judicial appointment after Neil Gorsuch.
- He has been recognized as the first South Asian Article III judge in U.S. federal history.
- Thapar was born into a Punjabi family from India and grew up in Toledo, Ohio.
- His career includes teaching in legal writing and constitutional law at multiple law schools.
- Birth place: Detroit, MI

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### appellate oral argument

Scope: courtwide

In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation.

Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary

[Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392666)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392666)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392666)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3195/amul-roger-thapar/)
- [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3195/amul-roger-thapar/)
- [Wikidata: Amul Roger Thapar](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4748925)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar",
      "name": "Amul Roger Thapar | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Amul Roger Thapar, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-09",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar#judge",
      "name": "Amul Roger Thapar",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392666",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3195/amul-roger-thapar/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1969",
      "birthPlace": "Detroit, MI",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Boston College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Ohio State University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of California, Berkeley"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "National federal courts",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Amul Roger Thapar",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amul-roger-thapar"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```