# Thomas Tang

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tang
> Source revision: 1348422116
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{{Short description|American judge (1922–1995)}}
{{about|the American lawyer|the Taiwanese athlete also named Thomas Tang|Tang Wei-tsu}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix          =
| name                      = Thomas Tang
| honorific_suffix          = 
| image                     = 
| alt                       = 
| caption                   = 
| office                    = [Senior Judge](/source/Senior_status) of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit)
| term_start                = October 12, 1993
| term_end                  = July 18, 1995
| office1                   = Judge of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit)
| term_start1               = October 12, 1977
| term_end1                 = October 12, 1993
| nominator1                = 
| appointer1                = [Jimmy Carter](/source/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Jimmy_Carter)
| predecessor1              = [Richard Harvey Chambers](/source/Richard_Harvey_Chambers)
| successor1                = [Michael Daly Hawkins](/source/Michael_Daly_Hawkins)
| pronunciation             = 
| birth_date                = {{Birth date|1922|01|11}}
| birth_place               = [Phoenix, Arizona](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona), U.S.
| death_date                = {{Death date and age|1995|07|18|1922|01|11}}
| death_place               = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
| death_cause               = 
| resting_place             = 
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| citizenship               = 
| party                     = 
| other_party               = 
| height                    = 
| spouse                    = [Pearl Mao Tang](/source/Pearl_Tang)
| partner                   = 
| relations                 = 
| children                  = 1
| parents                   = 
| mother                    = 
| father                    = 
| relatives                 = 
| education                 = [Santa Clara University](/source/Santa_Clara_University) ([BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science))<br>[University of Arizona](/source/University_of_Arizona) ([LLB](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws))
| alma_mater                = 
| occupation                = 
| profession                = 
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| cabinet                   = 
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| portfolio                 = 
| awards                    = 
| signature                 = 
| signature_alt             = 
| website                   = <!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
| footnotes                 = 
| module                    = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
  | s              = 邓心平
  | t              = 鄧心平
  | p              = Dèng Xīnpíng
  | j              = Dang<sup>6</sup> Sam<sup>4</sup>-ping<sup>4</sup>
  | y              = Dahng Sām-pìhng
  }} 
}}

'''Thomas Tang''' (January 11, 1922 – July 18, 1995) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as a [United States circuit judge](/source/United_States_federal_judge) of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit) from 1977 to 1995. Tang was the first American of Chinese descent to become a U.S. federal judge.

==Education and career==

The son of a [grocery](/source/grocery) owner, Tang was born and spent his early years in [Phoenix](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona), [Arizona](/source/Arizona), where he attended public schools. He joined the military through [ROTC](/source/ROTC) in 1942 and became a [First Lieutenant](/source/First_Lieutenant) in the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army). After graduation from the [Santa Clara University](/source/Santa_Clara_University) with a [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) degree and the [James E. Rogers College of Law](/source/James_E._Rogers_College_of_Law) at the [University of Arizona](/source/University_of_Arizona) with a [Bachelor of Laws](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws), he was again commissioned to the Army and served on the [Korean peninsula](/source/Korean_peninsula) during the [Korean War](/source/Korean_War). In 1952, Tang resigned from the Army and after a brief stint of private practice, served as Deputy [County Attorney](/source/County_Attorney) of [Maricopa County](/source/Maricopa_County%2C_Arizona), Arizona from 1952 to 1957 and Assistant [Attorney General](/source/Attorney_General) of Arizona from 1957 to 1959. He was then elected to the [Phoenix City Council](/source/Phoenix_City_Council) in 1960, and a Judge of the [Superior Court of Arizona](/source/Superior_Court_of_Arizona) in 1963.<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|2337|nid=1388561|name=Thomas Tang<!--(1922–1995)-->}}</ref> During his tenure as Superior Court Judge, numerous lawyers who later rose to great eminence appeared before him, former United States Supreme Court Justice [Sandra Day O'Connor](/source/Sandra_Day_O'Connor) being one of them. After losing his judicial re-election in 1970, due to a highly publicized juvenile murder trial in which he was accused for being too lenient, Tang returned to private practice.{{Citation needed|date=April 2018}}

==Federal judicial service==

Tang was nominated by President [Jimmy Carter](/source/Jimmy_Carter) on August 29, 1977, to a seat on the [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit) vacated by Judge [Richard Harvey Chambers](/source/Richard_Harvey_Chambers). He was confirmed by the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) on October 7, 1977, and received his commission on October 12, 1977. He assumed [senior status](/source/senior_status) on October 12, 1993. His service was terminated on July 18, 1995, due to his death of [cancer](/source/cancer) at the [Good Samaritan Hospital](/source/Banner_-_University_Medical_Center_Phoenix) in Phoenix.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/21/obituaries/thomas-tang-73-senior-judge-for-a-federal-court-of-appeals.html|title=Thomas Tang, 73, Senior Judge For a Federal Court of Appeals|first=Wolfgang|last=Saxon|work=The New York Times |date=21 July 1995 |publisher=}}</ref>

==Competition in his honor==

In 1993, the APA Law Student Association of the [South Texas College of Law](/source/South_Texas_College_of_Law_Houston) in [Houston, Texas](/source/Houston%2C_Texas) named a national moot court competition in Tang's honor. The [Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition](/source/Thomas_Tang_Moot_Court_Competition) is now administered by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation and the NAPABA Judicial Council. The Competition continues to honor the late Judge Tang, a champion of individual rights, an advocate for the advancement of minority attorneys, an ardent supporter of NAPABA and the moot court competition. Judge Tang’s wife, Dr. Pearl Tang, continued the legacy during her lifetime. The competition is open to all students but is especially designed to reach out to APA law students and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their writing and oral skills and compete for scholarships.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.napabalawfoundation.org/ttmc |title=Thomas Tang Moot Court |publisher=napabalawfoundation.org |accessdate=February 7, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[List of Asian American jurists](/source/List_of_Asian_American_jurists)
*[List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States](/source/List_of_first_minority_male_lawyers_and_judges_in_the_United_States)

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Additional sources==
* {{FJC Bio|2337|nid=1388561|name=Thomas Tang<!--(1922–1995)-->}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[Richard Harvey Chambers](/source/Richard_Harvey_Chambers)}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit)}}|years=1977–1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[Michael Daly Hawkins](/source/Michael_Daly_Hawkins)}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tang, Thomas}}
Category:1922 births
Category:1995 deaths
Category:American jurists of Chinese descent
Category:Arizona city council members
Category:Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Category:Superior court judges in the United States
Category:United States Army officers
Category:United States court of appeals judges appointed by Jimmy Carter
Category:University of Arizona alumni
Category:Lawyers from Phoenix, Arizona
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Tang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tang) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Tang?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.