Eric Tung, nominee to be a judge for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, testifies during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on July 30. He’s never held public office or donned a judge’s robes, but an arch-conservative Los Angeles County attorney is racing toward confirmation on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, accelerating the once-liberal court’s sharp rightward turn under President Trump. AdvertisementIn the past, senators from a potential judge’s home state could block a nomination — a custom Trump exploded when he steamrolled Washington senators to install Eric D. Miller to the 9th Circuit in 2019. If confirmed, Tung will be Trump’s 11th appointment to the 9th Circuit, a court the president vowed to remake when he first took office in 2017. California 9th Circuit upholds block on background checks for California ammunition buyers A federal appeals court upheld a ruling that struck down a background check requirement implemented by California on buyers of ammunition for firearms.