Judge John Chun

DIVISION I, POSITION 6

September 1, 2018–Present

Appointed by Governor Inslee

In June 2018, Governor Jay Inslee appointed Judge John H. Chun to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division One.

A Pacific Northwest native and the son of South Korean immigrants, Judge Chun grew up in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in English. Judge Chun then graduated from Cornell Law School, where he was a note editor on the Cornell Law Review.

Judge Chun started his legal 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. He was admitted to practice in Washington, the United States District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. For the final eight years of his practice, he worked at Summit Law Group, where he also acted on its executive board. And for a decade, he was as a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial and Employment panels.

While in private practice, Judge Chun contributed as a board member of the King County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation, and the Korean American Bar Association of Washington (where he served a term as President). He also worked on the American Bar Association’s International Litigation Committee.

Before joining the Court of Appeals, Judge Chun served on King County Superior Court for over four years. 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. He belonged to various committees, including the personnel, rules, technology, and ex parte committees. He also sat on the Policy & Planning Committee of the Washington State Courts Board for Judicial Administration.

Judge Chun currently serves on the advisory board of the Judicial Institute and the board of the Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation. He also serves on King County Bar Association’s Leadership Development & Nominations Committee. He presents regularly on a wide range of legal topics at continuing legal education seminars, bar events, and law schools. Judge Chun has been a member of the William L. Dwyer Inn of Court since 2008.

Judge Chun lives in Seattle with his wife, who teaches at University of Washington School of Law, and their children. He enjoys cycling, snowboarding, gardening, and cooking.