Judge John H. Chun

In 2018, Governor Jay Inslee appointed Judge John H. Chun to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division One. Judge Chun ran unopposed to retain his seat in November 2019.

A Pacific Northwest native and the son of South Korean immigrants, Judge Chun graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor's degree in English. He then graduated from Cornell Law School, becoming the first in his family to earn a law degree. While there, he served as a note editor on Cornell Law Review.

Judge Chun started his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Eugene A. Wright of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then entered private practice and focused on complex commercial and employment litigation for over eighteen years. From 2004 to 2014, he served as a member of the American Arbitration Association's Commercial and Employment panels.

While in private practice, Judge Chun received recognition from various organizations, including the following: AV Rating by Martindale-Hubbell; Washington State "Litigation Star" listing by Benchmark Litigation; Top 100 Washington "Super Lawyers" listing; and the Community Leadership Award from the Korean American Bar Association of Washington. And he contributed as a board member of the King County Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington.

From 2014 to 2018, Judge Chun served on King County Superior Court. He presided as a trial judge in civil, criminal, family law, and other types of cases. During his last year there, he served as the court's Assistant Chief Criminal Judge.

Judge Chun chairs the Washington State Center for Court Research Advisory Board. He serves on the Court of Appeals Rules Committee, the advisory board of the Judicial Institute, and the board of the Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation. He presents regularly on a wide range of legal topics at continuing legal education seminars, bar events, and law schools. In 2020, he received The Catlin Gabel School's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

Judge Chun lives in Seattle with his wife and their children. He enjoys cycling, snowboarding, gardening, cooking, and coaching youth sports.