Fairfax Circuit Court Gets First Asian-American Trial Judge

In this day and age, one would think that Northern Virginia’s diverse population would be represented in the judiciary responsible for deciding cases in the Circuit Courts. However, only this year does the Fairfax County Circuit Court have an Asian-American member.  Former Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney, and friend of Herndon trial lawyer Doug Landau, John Tran, has been selected to be a judge by the General Assembly.  He is not only the first Asian-American on the Fairfax bench, but also the first ever to serve in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“Tran, who is my age, was born in Vietnam,” says Landau.  “He and his family immigrated to this area in 1970. Judge Tran is son of a South Vietnamese diplomat who had spent time between the United States and South Vietnam in the early 1970s.   He was stranded here when Saigon fell in 1975.  John Tran lived in Arlington and graduated from Yorktown High School.  He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from George Washington University.”

According to news reports it is believed that Tran is the first Vietnamese-American judge in the Washington area.  In 2008, generic levitra without prescription he was the first Asian-American substitute judge ever appointed in Fairfax County, to hear (non-jury) general district and juvenile court cases.  The only other Asian substitute judges in Virginia are Michael HuYoung of Richmond (also a friend of Landau’s) and Su Young Min of Arlington.   These part-time judges joined Tran at the legislative hearing where he was interviewed prior to his election by the entire General Assembly.  Judge Tran will preside starting in July after undergoing the Supreme Court of Virginia’s New Judges Training Program.