# Tony N. Leung *United States magistrate judge, District of Minnesota (born 1959)* Tony N. Leung (born August 16, 1959) sits as a United States magistrate judge on the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]].[^1] He took the oath for that post on April 30, 2011.[^2] From 1994 until 2011, Leung was a trial judge of general jurisdiction on the Fourth Judicial District of [[Minnesota]]. He was named to that court by Minnesota [[governor]] Arne H. Carlson.[^1] ## Early life Leung was born in Hong Kong, and his parents came from Taishan, Guangdong, China. In 1966, when he was six, the family moved to the United States. They spent a year in Aurora, Illinois, where he learned English, and then settled in [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota, in a neighborhood south of Lyn-Lake.[^3] ## Education Leung went through [[Minneapolis Public Schools]] and finished at [[West High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota)]] in 1978, where he shared valedictorian honors and led the student council. In 1982, Yale University awarded him a BA in political science with honors. While at Yale he co-captained the Yale Tae Kwon-Do Club, and he spent the summer of 1981 studying at Beijing University. New York University School of Law conferred his JD in 1985.[^4] ## Career After law school Leung came back to Minnesota and joined [[Faegre & Benson]]. He became an equity partner there, with a practice centered on real estate and other business transactions, and he stayed at the firm until he moved to the state bench.[^5] His appointment to the Fourth Judicial District in Hennepin County took effect on July 29, 1994. He filled the seat left open when [[Michael J. Davis]] was appointed a United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota.[^5] Voters returned Leung to the court in 1996, 2002 and 2008. His docket spanned civil, criminal, child protection and juvenile delinquency matters.[^5] Leung's federal magistrate judgeship was created in 2011, the year he was sworn in. The court's district judges selected him for an initial eight-year term, and he received a second eight-year term in 2019. The position covers civil and criminal proceedings and includes presiding over naturalization ceremonies.[^2] From 2019 to 2020 Leung was president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. In 1990 he helped found the Minnesota chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. In 2005 he co-founded Twin Cities Diversity in Practice and became its first board chair.[^6] Since 1991 he has chaired the Yale Alumni Schools Committee in Minneapolis. Starting in 1995, he sat on the board of Twin Cities RISE! for 25 years. His other current or past board seats include Wishes & More, [[Northern Star Council]], Boy Scouts of America, and the [[Lakewood Cemetery]] Association. He has also lectured in the Great Books Seminar of the [[University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)]].[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (rev. 1373924848, retrieved 2026-10-26; CC BY-SA 4.0), lead section. Establishes his birth date, his current office as magistrate judge, his 1994 appointment by Governor Arne H. Carlson to the Fourth Judicial District, and his service as a general jurisdiction trial judge until 2011. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (retrieved 2026-10-26), Career section. Establishes the April 30, 2011 swearing-in, the creation of the judgeship in 2011, his duties, and his eight-year terms, the first appointed by the district judges and the second in 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (retrieved 2026-10-26), Early life section. Establishes his birth in Hong Kong, his parents' origin, his 1966 emigration at age six, the year in Aurora, Illinois, and the move to Minneapolis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (retrieved 2026-10-26), Education section. Establishes his graduation from West High School in 1978, his Yale BA in 1982, his Beijing University summer study in 1981, and his New York University School of Law JD in 1985. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (retrieved 2026-10-26), Career section. Establishes his Faegre & Benson partnership, the July 29, 1994 appointment in Hennepin County succeeding Michael J. Davis, his re-elections in 1996, 2002 and 2008, and the case types he heard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Tony N. Leung* (retrieved 2026-10-26), Career section. Establishes his Federal Bar Association Minnesota Chapter presidency (2019–2020), his bar association and Twin Cities Diversity in Practice co-foundings, his board and committee service, and his Great Books Seminar lecturing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_N._Leung