Appointment Scorecard
Circuit Courts of Appeals
2
vacant
seats
1
pending
nominations
54
confirmed
judges
U.S. District Courts
43
vacant
seats
21
pending
nominations
174
confirmed
judges
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his "goal" was to confirm "as many circuit judges as fast as we could." Indeed, appellate nominees have moved through the confirmation much faster than trial-court picks in Trump's first years: 156 days compared to 270 days. McConnell said the pace would continue through 2020 and extend to the district courts: "We're not going to leave a single vacancy behind by the end of next year."
Some tactics that have rankled the minority include holding confirmation hearings for more than one appellate nominee at a time, advancing nominees without approval from both home-state senators and ending the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. McConnell has defended his expeditious approach: "Advice and consent means whatever the majority at any given moment thinks it means."
Getting Trump picks confirmed hasn't always been smooth, and several nominees with controversial records have been sent packing. That fate nearly befell the president's second Supreme Court nominee, now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, after late-breaking allegations of sexual misconduct in the 1980s — but a few moderate senators pushed his nomination over the line.
After restocking the appellate courts, the Senate turned to nominees for the nation's district courts. This interactive tracker shows the status for each vacancy and each nominee.
Click to view interactive version
Here's a profile of Trump's appointments to the federal appellate courts around the country, followed by a listing of his nominees to district courts.
Appointment Scorecard
Circuit Courts of Appeals
2
vacant
seats
1
pending
nominations
54
confirmed
judges
U.S. District Courts
43
vacant
seats
21
pending
nominations
174
confirmed
judges
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Amy Coney Barrett
Age: 48Law School: Notre Dame Law School
Formerly: Judge, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: Sept. 26, 2020
Confirmed: Oct. 26, 2020
Justice Barrett succeeded the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death 46 days before Election Day allowed Senate Republicans to give Trump a third appointment and cement a conservative majority on the high court. After three years on the Seventh Circuit, the former constitutional law professor saw a deeply partisan confirmation vote the week before the election.
Brett Kavanaugh
Age: 53Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Judge, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: July 9, 2018
Confirmed: Oct. 6, 2018
Justice Kavanaugh, Trump's second high court appointment, was confirmed by the narrowest margin in the last century after late-breaking allegations of decades-old sexual misconduct against the nominee created a political firestorm. The episode drew many comparisons to Justice Clarence Thomas' fraught confirmation 26 years prior.
Neil Gorsuch
Age: 50Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Judge, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: Jan. 31, 2017
Confirmed: April 7, 2017
The selection of then-Judge Gorsuch to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was one of Trump's first acts as president and may prove one of his most consequential. Justice Gorsuch's April confirmation capped a yearlong saga that included President Barack Obama's failed nomination of Judge Merrick Garland and a Senate rule change by Republicans forcing through Trump's pick.
D.C. CIRCUIT
Gregory Katsas
Age: 53Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy counsel to President Trump; partner, Jones Day
Confirmed: Nov. 28, 2017
The veteran Washington litigator replaced retired D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown on what's often called the country's second most powerful court. Katsas gained prominence arguing high-profile appeals as a partner at Jones Day, including the first challenge to the Affordable Care Act at the Supreme Court. His former role as White House deputy counsel raised concerns about his ability to fairly review administrative policy — a regular part of the D.C. Circuit's specialized docket.
Neomi Rao
Age: 45Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Confirmed: March 13, 2019
Trump chose the lawyer overseeing his administration's regulatory rollback to replace Justice Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit. Neomi Rao, a conservative academic with developed views on administrative law, would likely bring Kavanaugh's skepticism of government agencies to the specialized appeals court, which hears a number of rulemaking challenges. Before her confirmation on a 53-46 vote Rao faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for her views on abortion, administrative law and college age writings on issues like sexual assault.
Justin R. Walker
Age: 38Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky
Confirmed: June 18, 2020
With support from longtime backer Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, Judge Walker was tapped for the "second-highest court" after six months on the bench, four years as a law professor and a few years at big firms. Before his confirmation for the trial court, Democrats ripped his lack of courtroom experience, which spurred a rare "not qualified" rating from the ABA. However, his resume has more appellate credentials, including clerkships with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and then-D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
FIRST CIRCUIT
Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach
Age: 53Law School: University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Currently: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
Nominated: Nov. 13, 2020
A year after appointing Judge Arias-Marxuach to the federal bench in Puerto Rico, Trump proposed elevating him to the First Circuit to succeed the late Judge Juan M. Torruela, the first and only Hispanic on the appeals court that covers Puerto Rico as well as New England. Judge Arias-Marxuach previously spent nearly 25 years with San Juan-based McConnell Valdes LLC, where he served as vice chair of the litigation practice group.
SECOND CIRCUIT
Joseph F. Bianco
Age: 52Law School: Columbia Law School
Formerly: Judge, Eastern District of New York
Confirmed: May 9, 2019
A former Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, Bianco has served as a federal district judge for the last 13 years before President Donald Trump picked him in October for a Second Circuit seat. Both of New York's Senators have opposed Judge Bianco's as part of a spat over one of Trump's other Second Circuit picks, but Republicans have advanced both despite that.
Steven J. Menashi
Law School: Stanford Law School
Formerly: Special assistant and senior associate counsel to President Trump
Confirmed: Nov. 14, 2019
Trump named one of his top legal advisers, a special assistant and senior associate counsel to the president who previously served as acting general counsel at the Department of Education, to the Second Circuit. Earlier, Menashi was an assistant professor of law at George Mason University, where he taught courses in administrative law and civil procedure. Menashi also was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York, where his practice focused on civil and regulatory litigation.
William J. Nardini
Age: 50Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut
Confirmed: Nov. 7, 2019
The career federal prosecutor who clerked with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor won praise from his state's two Democratic U.S. senators for his "long, deep connections with the Connecticut legal community." His confirmation brought the Second Circuit to partisan parity, with six judges appointed by Republicans and six by Democrats.
Michael H. Park
Age: 42Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Partner, Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC
Confirmed: May 9, 2019
A prominent litigation attorney, Park was involved in the lawsuit over alleged admission bias at Harvard, litigation over the Waters of the United States rule at the Supreme Court and more. Both of New York's Democratic senators opposed Park over his advocacy on issues like abortion, affirmative action and environmental rules, but Republicans confirmed him 52-41.
Richard J. Sullivan
Age: 54Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
The elevation of the longtime district judge to a Second Circuit vacancy was one of the few circuit court judges advanced with bipartisan support in Trump's first years. An adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, Judge Sullivan also served as general counsel and Managing Director of Marsh Inc. and as a federal prosecutor. His nomination followed months of negotiations between New York's Democratic senators and the White House.
THIRD CIRCUIT
Stephanos Bibas
Age: 48Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School; prosecutor, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
Confirmed: Nov. 2, 2017
Judge Bibas' 53-43 confirmation made him Trump's eighth appellate nominee to win approval and 13th federal judge overall. A former federal prosecutor with a reputation as a criminal law expert, Bibas previously taught law at the University of Pennsylvania and argued six cases at the Supreme Court. The newly minted judge faced questions about his choices as a prosecutor and his writings about corporal punishment.
Paul Matey
Law School: Seton Hall University School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Confirmed: March 12, 2019
New Jersey's two Democratic senators objected to the nomination of the former aide to the state's GOP governor, Chris Christie, whom he served as senior counsel after working with him at the U.S. attorney's office. The Senate confirmed him 54-45.
Peter J. Phipps
Age: 46Formerly: Senior Trial Counsel, Federal Programs Branch, DOJ's Civil Division
Confirmed: July 16, 2019
Judge Phipps won Senate confirmation to the Third Circuit after sitting on the federal bench in Pittsburgh for less than a year. Following the selection of Jones Day litigator Gregory Katsas to the D.C. Circuit in 2017, Judge Phipps became another name from the law firm that Trump tapped for a high-profile seat, though he worked there more than a decade ago. In the meantime, he served as a lawyer in the Department of Justice's Civil Division.
David J. Porter
Law School: Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason UniversityFormerly: Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
Longtime Buchanan attorney David J. Porter was confirmed by the Senate over the objections of Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who said Porter is "far outside the mainstream." Casey claimed that Porter's views would denigrate worker rights, healthcare access and equal protection but did not stall his nomination.
FOURTH CIRCUIT
A. Marvin Quattlebaum
Age: 53Law School: University of South Carolina School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina
Confirmed: Aug. 16, 2018
Fourth Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum was President Donald Trump's first judge to be confirmed to both a trial court and appellate court judgeship. A former Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP partner, Quattlebaum's practice focused on commercial litigation.
Jay Richardson
Law School: University of Chicago Law SchoolFormerly: Deputy chief of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina
Confirmed: Aug. 16, 2018
Fourth Circuit Judge Jay N. Richardson would come to the bench from a prosecutorial career in South Carolina that includes the prosecution of Dylann Roof, convicted in 2016 in a mass shooting in a Charleston church. Richardson previously worked at Kellogg Hansen as an associate.
Allison Jones Rushing
Age: 36Law School: Duke University School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Williams & Connolly LLP
Confirmed: March 5, 2019
An active appellate attorney, Rushing represented a wide variety of clients at the trial and appellate level, including Silk Road defendants at the U.S. Supreme Court and Liberty Tax owners at the Fourth Circuit in a $4 million dispute. The youngest of President Donald Trump's appellate judges so far, she faced Democratic criticism over her age and Republicans' holding her confirmation hearing during a congressional recess.
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Cory T. Wilson
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals
Confirmed: June 24, 2020
The former Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP partner became a state judge in 2019 after three years as a Republican in the state Legislature. He was previously tapped for a federal district judgeship in Mississippi, but Trump named Judge Wilson after a few Senate Republicans objected to a previous nominee as insufficiently conservative. At Judge Wilson's confirmation hearing for his previous nomination, Democrats charged that he was too partisan for the federal judiciary.
Stuart Kyle Duncan
Law School: Louisiana State University Law Center
Formerly: Partner, Schaerr Duncan
Confirmed: April 24, 2018
The former Schaerr Duncan LLP partner was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit in late April 2018 on a 50-47 tally, Trump's 15th appeals court judge to get Senate approval. Duncan served as Louisiana's solicitor general and appellate chief before joining the private sector. He also served as general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and as chief counsel for the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. challenge to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate as it made its way to the Supreme Court.
Kurt D. Engelhardt
Age: 56Law School: Louisiana State University Law Center
Formerly: Chief U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana
Confirmed: May 9, 2018
Judge Engelhardt served as chief district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and takes over a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit. During his time on the bench, he has adjudicated several high-profile criminal trials, including one for five police officers accused of shooting evacuees during Hurricane Katrina.
James C. Ho
Age: 44Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Partner, Gibson Dunn; solicitor general of Texas
Confirmed: Dec. 14, 2017
The former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP partner was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit on Dec. 14 2017, becoming the first Asian-American judge on the New Orleans-based appeals court, and the sixth sitting Asian-American judge in the country. Ho served early in his career as a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and later became solicitor general for Texas before joining the firm.
Andrew S. Oldham
Age: 39Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: General counsel to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Confirmed: July 18, 2018
Judge Oldham was previously general counsel to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, previously having been the state's deputy solicitor general. Before that, Oldham worked with Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick in Washington, D.C., and had clerkships with Justice Samuel Alito and Judge David B. Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit. Texas' two Republican senators had praised his nomination.
Don Willett
Age: 51Law School: Duke University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Texas Supreme Court; deputy attorney general of Texas for legal counsel
Confirmed: Dec. 13, 2017
Judge Willett served on his state's high court for 12 years before he was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit. An alumnus of the George W. Bush administration and the Texas Attorney General's Office, Willett was best known for his witty Twitter account, which won a broad following. It's not clear whether the Supreme Court contender will continue his social media activity while on the federal appellate bench.
SIXTH CIRCUIT
John K. Bush
Age: 53Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Partner, Bingham Greenebaum
Confirmed: July 20, 2017
The Sixth Circuit judge, one of Trump's more controversial judicial nominees, was confirmed by the Senate 52-47 in July 2017 in the face of Democratic criticism over the judge's partisan blog posts and past public statements. In one post, Judge Bush appeared to conflate decisions of "activist justices" in the Dred Scott case and Roe v. Wade. Bush previously helped lead the litigation department at Bingham Greenebaum, representing corporate clients like Philip Morris USA Inc. and Humana Inc.
Joan Louise Larsen
Age: 48Law School: Northwestern University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Michigan Supreme Court; professor, University of Michigan School of Law
Confirmed: Nov. 1, 2017
The former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia won confirmation 60-38. She also worked as a Sidley Austin LLP associate and spent time in academia before being named to the Michigan Supreme Court. At her confirmation hearing, Justice Larsen defended her impartiality as Democrats probed her time at the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in the George W. Bush administration. She was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
Eric Murphy
Age: 39Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: State solicitor of Ohio
Confirmed: March 7, 2019
The Senate confirmed Sixth Circuit Judge Eric Murphy, who represented Ohio's Attorney General at the appellate level for years, over the objections of Ohio's homestate Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. He and other Democrats opposed his nomination over arguments he made in the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges case on marriage equality and other issues.
John Nalbandian
Law School: University of Virginia School of LawFormerly: Litigation partner and appellate lawyer at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Confirmed: May 15, 2018
Trump's fourth pick to the Sixth Circuit, litigation partner and lead appellate lawyer at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP John B. Nalbandian, was confirmed in May 2018. He represented major telecommunications infrastructure companies like Fiberlight, pharmaceutical companies, West Virginia residents in a class action suit against DuPont and others.
Chad A. Readler
Age: 46Law School: University of Michigan Law School
Formerly: Acting assistant attorney general and principal deputy attorney general, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Confirmed: March 6, 2019
The Senate confirmed Sixth Circuit Judge Chad Readler over the objections of Sen. Brown, all Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, over his involvement in an Affordable Care Act case as a Justice Department official. Democrats uniformly opposed Readler's nomination, and sought to tie a vote against Readler to support for the ACA's pre-existing conditions coverage mandate.
Amul Thapar
Age: 48Law School: UC Berkeley School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Kentucky
Confirmed: May 25, 2017
Judge Thapar was Trump's first appellate nominee to take the bench, after a 52-44 vote largely along party lines in May 2017. Republicans praised his nine-year tenure as a U.S. district judge in Kentucky. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Thapar was "not right" for the people of Michigan, which is included in the Sixth Circuit. Judge Thapar appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list in September 2016.
SEVENTH CIRCUIT
Amy Coney Barrett
Age: 45Law School: Notre Dame Law School
Formerly: Professor, Notre Dame Law School
Confirmed: Oct. 31, 2017
Judge Barrett started her career as a clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and later spent over a decade teaching at Notre Dame Law School. Barrett's Catholic faith, however, inspired the brunt of her questioning during a her confirmation hearing, with Democrats questioning her impartiality. Barrett insisted her personal views would not affect her role as a judge and was confirmed by a 55-43 vote. The month after her confirmation she appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list.
Michael Brennan
Age: 53Law School: Northwestern University School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Gass Weber Mullins
Confirmed: May 10, 2018
Judge Brennan served on the state bench in Milwaukee County for nearly a decade before leaving to join Gass Weber Mullins LLC, where he developed a trial and appellate practice. Brennan's conservative credentials — which include founding the Federalist Society's Milwaukee chapter and defending Wisconsin's "informed consent" abortion law while an assistant district attorney in the 1990s — suggest that he will further push the Chicago appeals court to the right.
Michael Y. Scudder
Law School: Northwestern University School of LawFormerly: Partner, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
Confirmed: May 14, 2018
The former clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy had spent nearly a decade on white collar and government enforcement matters with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, which he joined after serving as general counsel to President George W. Bush's National Security Council. The White House and Illinois's two Democratic senators worked together on his nomination, a rarity in the Trump administration.
Amy J. St. Eve
Age: 52Law School: Cornell Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Illinois
Confirmed: May 14, 2018
The judge was elevated after more than 15 years on a federal district court, where she presided over several high-profile Chicago trials, including one in 2013 which she reprimanded President Donald Trump when he was still best known as a brash billionaire real estate mogul. The White House and Illinois's two Democratic senators worked together on her nomination, a rarity in the Trump administration.
Thomas L. Kirsch II
Law School: Harvard Law SchoolFormerly: U.S. attorney, Northern District of Indiana
Confirmed: Dec. 15, 2020
Kirsch was tapped to replace Judge Amy Coney Barrett in anticipation of her elevation to the Supreme Court. When he was a partner with Winston & Strawn LLP, he focused on complex litigation and corporate investigations. He also served in the DOJ, including in the Office of Legal Policy.
EIGHTH CIRCUIT
Ralph Erickson
Age: 58Law School: University of North Dakota School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, District of North Dakota
Confirmed: Sept. 28, 2017
One of Trump's few judicial nominees to garner significant bipartisan support so far, the former North Dakota U.S. district judge was approved to the Eighth Circuit by the Senate in a 95-1 vote in 2017. A county and state court judge before joining the federal bench in 2003, Judge Erickson has chaired the U.S. Sentencing Commission's tribal issues advisory group.
L. Steven Grasz
Age: 55Law School: University of Nebraska College of Law
Formerly: Senior Counsel, Husch Blackwell LLP; chief deputy attorney general of Nebraska
Confirmed: Dec. 12, 2017
Senate Republicans confirmed the Husch Blackwell senior counsel to a seat on the Eighth Circuit, brushing aside Democrats' concerns about his partisan bent and a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association. Grasz served as a longtime deputy assistant attorney general for the state of Nebraska, and his tenure there proved a flash point in considering his nomination.
Jonathan A. Kobes
Age: 44Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy chief of staff and counsel, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
Confirmed: Dec. 11, 2018
Kobes became the first Trump appeals court judge to win confirmation through a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence after outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., withheld his support over concerns about protecting the special counsel's investigation. The American Bar Association gave a "not qualified" to Kobes, a former federal prosecutor turned Senate aide.
David R. Stras
Law School: University of Kansas School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
Confirmed: Jan. 30, 2018
Judge Stras won confirmation 56-24 despite opposition from then-Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., bucking a decades-old tradition of deference home-state senators. At his committee hearing Stras defended his record at Minnesota's high court, including his inclination to defer to lawmakers. He was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
NINTH CIRCUIT
Bridget Shelton Bade
Age: 53Law School: Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Formerly: U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of Arizona
Confirmed: March 26, 2019
A magistrate judge for the last six years, she's presided over a variety of litigation, including a Labor Department suit over alleged overtime violations by a chain of Arizona restaurants. Bade would fill the open Ninth Circuit seat for Arizona.
Mark J. Bennett
Age: 64Law School: Cornell Law School
Formerly: Director, Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher
Confirmed: July 10, 2018
Ninth Circuit Judge Mark Bennett rose to prominence as Hawaii's attorney general for eight years under Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, arguing twice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Bennett previously the director of Honolulu firm Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher, where his practice focused on complex civil litigation such as antitrust and securities matters. Bennett's nomination was unique in Trump's term; he received more opposition from Republicans than Democrats over briefs he wrote in Supreme Court cases on gun rights.
Daniel A. Bress
Age: 39Law School: University of Virginia School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Confirmed: July 9, 2019
A new pick for the Ninth Circuit, President Donald Trump nominated Bress over the objections of California's home-state Senators, who have not been happy with any of the administration's choices for the vacant California seats on the high-profile appellate court. As a litigator at Kirkland & Ellis, he's been involved in cases involving alleged defects in talc powder, a False Claims Act suit the United States brought against Honeywell Corp. and more.
Patrick J. Bumatay
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California
Confirmed: Dec. 10, 2019
This was the third time Trump tapped Bumatay, a DOJ veteran and an expert on the opioid crisis. His October 2018 nomination for the Ninth Circuit was derailed by opposition from California's two Democratic senators. Bumatay's candidacy for a district-court seat was pending when Trump once again picked him for the appeals court.
Daniel P. Collins
Age: 55Law School: Stanford Law School
Formerly: Partner, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP
Confirmed: May 21, 2019
President Trump picked a fight with California's Democratic senators by nominating Collins and several other Ninth Circuit picks over their objections. A prominent litigator, Collins has represented companies like Royal Dutch Shell in its suits with various municipalities over the alleged costs of infrastructure damage from climate change.
Danielle J. Hunsaker
Age: 42Law School: University of Idaho College of Law
Formerly: Presiding Judge, Washington County (Oregon) Circuit Court
Confirmed: Nov. 6, 2019
Hunsaker was recommended by Oregon's judicial selection committee to replace Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, the Reagan appointee with whom she clerked. Senate leaders canceled a July 2018 vote on previous nominee Ryan Bounds, another former O'Scannlain clerk whose college writings on race cost him GOP votes.
Kenneth Kiyul Lee
Age: 43Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Confirmed: May 15, 2019
President Trump picked a fight with California's Democratic senators by nominating Lee and several other Ninth Circuit picks over their objections. A former associate counsel to President George W. Bush, Lee has represented a diverse group of clients, including Kraft Foods, Smuckers and even Kanye West since going into private practice.
Eric Miller
Age: 44Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
Confirmed: Feb. 26, 2019
A longtime Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission attorney, Judge Miller joined Perkins Coie in 2012, where he represented major corporations like Amazon, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, major food companies and others. The Senate confirmed Judge Miller over the objections over both of Washington's Democratic senators, the first time it had done so in Trump's term.
Ryan Nelson
Law School: Brigham Young University Law SchoolFormerly: General counsel, Melaleuca Inc.; partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
Trump's third confirmed pick for the influential Ninth Circuit was previously general counsel for Idaho-based household goods giant Melaleuca Inc. Trump first tapped Nelson for the Interior Department's top legal job. Nelson previously worked on Supreme Court nominations for former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and led the Environment and Natural Resources Division at President George W. Bush's DOJ.
Lawrence VanDyke
Age: 46Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division
Confirmed: Dec. 11, 2019
As a top DOJ lawyer, VanDyke defended the Trump administration's decisions to revoke Obama-era fracking regulations and allow Alaskan oil and gas exploration. He previously served as solicitor general for both Nevada and Montana. He led a coalition of states that won a nationwide injunction in 2016 against the Obama administration's controversial rule expanding overtime protections. He also represented Nevada in its fight against federal plans to preserve habitat for the greater sage-grouse. He previously worked at Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP.
TENTH CIRCUIT
Joel M. Carson III
Law School: University of New Mexico School of LawFormerly: Principal, Carson Ryan LLC
Confirmed: May 15, 2018
As a partner with his Roswell-based firm, Carson represented energy companies in disputes with state and federal regulators and worked on legal issues for various industry associations and a conservative legal foundation. Carson also served as a part-time magistrate judge and on the New Mexico Supreme Court's Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
Allison Eid
Age: 51Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Justice, Colorado Supreme Court; professor, University of Chicago Law School
Confirmed: Nov. 2, 2017
The vacancy left by Neil Gorsuch's elevation to the Supreme Court was filled in November 2017 with the confirmation of Eid, a former justice on Colorado's top bench. Eid won a rare three Democratic votes for her approval, after many in the party looked suspiciously on her past writings, decisions and advocacy on federal power, gun rights and civil liability. She was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Elizabeth Branch
Age: 48Law School: Emory University School of Law
Formerly: Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals
Confirmed: Feb. 27, 2018
The former Georgia Court of Appeals judge is Trump's second appointee to the Eleventh Circuit following her confirmation with bipartisan support in February 2018. Active in the Federalist Society's Atlanta chapter and an alumna of the Bush Department of Homeland Security and Office of Management and Budget, Branch joined four other full-time female judges on the 12-member appeals court, replacing female U.S. Circuit Judge Frank M. Hull. Branch defended her originalist principles during her confirmation hearing.
Andrew L. Brasher
Age: 38Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Middle District of Alabama
Confirmed: Feb. 11, 2020
One of Trump's youngest appellate picks, Judge Brasher was tapped for a promotion just six months after a party-line Senate vote made him a U.S. district judge despite opposition from Alabama's Democratic senator, Doug Jones. He previously served five years as the state's solicitor general, defending laws including an overturned abortion restriction. He has practiced with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and clerked with Eleventh Circuit Judge William H. Pryor Jr.
Britt C. Grant
Law School: Stanford Law SchoolFormerly: Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
Confirmed: July 31, 2018
Grant won confirmation to the Eleventh Circuit over the objections of most Democrats. The previous year she had appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal appointed her in January 2017 to the state's Supreme Court; before that, she had served as the state's solicitor general since 2015. She was previously a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a law clerk to then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh and a staffer in the Bush White House.
Barbara Lagoa
Age: 51Law School: Columbia University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Confirmed: Nov. 20, 2019
The former Greenberg Traurig LLP commercial litigator got the nod a few months after becoming the first Cuban-American woman on the state's high court. She spent 13 years the state's Third District Court of Appeal and also previously worked as a federal prosecutor.
Robert J. Luck
Age: 40Law School: University of Florida Levin College of Law
Formerly: Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Confirmed: Nov. 19, 2019
The former Greenberg Traurig LLP commercial litigator got the nod a few months after joining the state's high court. He previously spent two years on the state's Third District Court of Appeal and four years as a trial judge in Miami's 11th Judicial Circuit Court. Before working as a federal prosecutor, he clerked for Eleventh Circuit Judge Edward E. Carne.
Kevin Newsom
Law School: Harvard Law SchoolFormerly: Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Confirmed: Aug. 1, 2017
Judge Newsom was approved with some Democratic support in a 66-31 vote. A Harvard Law grad who clerked for Justice David Souter, Newsom's path to the Eleventh Circuit included a stop at Covington & Burling LLP, a stint as Alabama's solicitor general and a decade in the Birmingham office of Bradley Arant, where he eventually led the firm's appellate practice. A few months after his confirmation he appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list.
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Amy Coney Barrett
Law School: Notre Dame Law School
Formerly: Judge, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: Sept. 26, 2020
Confirmed: Oct. 26, 2020
Justice Barrett succeeded the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death 46 days before Election Day allowed Senate Republicans to give Trump a third appointment and cement a conservative majority on the high court. After three years on the Seventh Circuit, the former constitutional law professor saw a deeply partisan confirmation vote the week before the election.
Brett Kavanaugh
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Judge, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: July 9, 2018
Confirmed: Oct. 6, 2018
The monumental battle over the confirmation of Trump's second Supreme Court Justice could fundamentally change the Senate. For months Senators wrestled with sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, his judicial views on abortion, executive authority and more before ultimately confirming him on a two-vote margin, the narrowest in the last century.
Neil Gorsuch
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Judge, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Nominated: Jan. 31, 2017
Confirmed: April 7, 2017
The selection of then-Tenth Circuit Judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was one of Trump's first acts as president and may prove his most consequential. Justice Gorsuch's April confirmation capped a yearlong saga that included President Barack Obama's failed nomination of Judge Merrick Garland and a Senate rule change by Republicans forcing through Trump's pick. The political hardball appears to be paying off, as Justice Gorsuch has already aligned himself with the court's conservatives.
D.C. CIRCUIT
Gregory Katsas
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy counsel to President Trump; partner, Jones Day
Confirmed: Nov. 28, 2017
Veteran Washington litigator Gregory G. Katsas replaced retired D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown on what's often called the country's second most powerful court. Katsas gained prominence arguing high-profile appeals as a partner at Jones Day, including the first challenge to the Affordable Care Act at the Supreme Court. His former role as White House deputy counsel raised concerns about his ability to fairly review administrative policy — a regular part of the D.C. Circuit's specialized docket.
Neomi Rao
Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Confirmed: March 13, 2018
Trump chose the lawyer overseeing his administration's regulatory rollback to replace Justice Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit. Neomi Rao, a conservative academic with developed views on administrative law, would likely bring Kavanaugh's skepticism of government agencies to the specialized appeals court, which hears a number of rulemaking challenges. Before her confirmation on a 53-46 vote Rao faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for her views on abortion, administrative law and college age writings on issues like sexual assault.
FIRST CIRCUIT
Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach
Law School: University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Currently: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
Nominated: Nov. 13, 2020
A year after appointing Judge Arias-Marxuach to the federal bench in Puerto Rico, Trump proposed elevating him to the First Circuit to succeed the late Judge Juan M. Torruela, the first and only Hispanic on the appeals court that covers Puerto Rico as well as New England. Judge Arias-Marxuach previously spent nearly 25 years with San Juan-based McConnell Valdes LLC, where he served as vice chair of the litigation practice group.
SECOND CIRCUIT
Joseph F. Bianco
Law School: Columbia Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of New York
Confirmed: May 9, 2019
A former Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, Bianco has served as a federal district judge for the last 13 years before President Donald Trump picked him in October for a Second Circuit seat. Both of New York's Senators have opposed Judge Bianco's as part of a spat over one of Trump's other Second Circuit picks, but Republicans have advanced both despite that.
Steven J. Menashi
Law School: Stanford Law School
Formerly: Special assistant and senior associate counsel to President Trump
Confirmed: Nov. 14, 2019
Trump named one of his top legal advisers, a special assistant and senior associate counsel to the president who previously served as acting general counsel at the Department of Education, to the Second Circuit. Earlier, Menashi was an assistant professor of law at George Mason University, where he taught courses in administrative law and civil procedure. Menashi also was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York, where his practice focused on civil and regulatory litigation.
William J. Nardini
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Chief of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut
Confirmed: Nov. 7, 2019
The career federal prosecutor who clerked with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor won praise from his state's two Democratic U.S. senators for his "long, deep connections with the Connecticut legal community." His confirmation brought the Second Circuit to partisan parity, with six judges appointed by Republicans and six by Democrats.
Michael H. Park
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Partner, Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC
Confirmed: May 9, 2019
A prominent litigation attorney, Park was involved in the lawsuit over alleged admission bias at Harvard, litigation over the Waters of the United States rule at the Supreme Court and more. Both of New York's Democratic senators opposed Park over his advocacy on issues like abortion, affirmative action and environmental rules, but Republicans confirmed him 52-41.
Richard J. Sullivan
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
The elevation of the longtime district judge to a Second Circuit vacancy was one of the few circuit court judges advanced with bipartisan support in Trump's first years. An adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, Judge Sullivan also served as general counsel and Managing Director of Marsh Inc. and as a federal prosecutor. His nomination followed months of negotiations between New York's Democratic senators and the White House.
THIRD CIRCUIT
Stephanos Bibas
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School; prosecutor, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
Confirmed: Nov. 2, 2017
Judge Bibas' 53-43 confirmation made him Trump's eighth appellate nominee to win approval and 13th federal judge overall. A former federal prosecutor with a reputation as a criminal law expert, Bibas previously taught law at the University of Pennsylvania and argued six cases at the Supreme Court. The newly minted judge faced questions about his choices as a prosecutor and his writings about corporal punishment.
Paul Matey
Law School: Seton Hall University School of Law
Formerly: Senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, University Hospital in Newark, N.J.
Confirmed: March 12, 2019
New Jersey's two Democratic senators objected to the nomination of the former aide to the state's GOP governor, Chris Christie, whom he served as senior counsel after working with him at the U.S. attorney's office. The Senate confirmed him 54-45.
Peter J. Phipps
Law School: Stanford Law School
Formerly: Senior trial counsel, Federal Programs Branch, DOJ's Civil Division
Confirmed: July 16, 2019
Judge Phipps won Senate confirmation to the Third Circuit after sitting on the federal bench in Pittsburgh for less than a year. Following the selection of Jones Day litigator Gregory Katsas for the D.C. Circuit in 2017, Judge Phipps became another name from the law firm that Trump tapped for a high-profile seat, though he worked there more than a decade ago. In the meantime, he served as a lawyer in the Justice Department's Civil Division.
David J. Porter
Formerly: Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
Longtime Buchanan attorney David J. Porter was confirmed by the Senate over the objections of Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who said Porter is "far outside the mainstream." Casey claimed that Porter's views would denigrate worker rights, healthcare access and equal protection but did not stall his nomination.
FOURTH CIRCUIT
A. Marvin Quattlebaum
Law School: University of South Carolina School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina
Confirmed: Aug. 16, 2018
Fourth Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum was President Donald Trump's first judge to be confirmed to both a trial court and appellate court judgeship. A former Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP partner, Quattlebaum's practice focused on commercial litigation.
Jay Richardson
Law School: University of Chicago Law SchoolFormerly: Deputy chief of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina
Confirmed: Aug. 16, 2018
Fourth Circuit Judge Jay N. Richardson would come to the bench from a prosecutorial career in South Carolina that includes the prosecution of Dylann Roof, convicted in 2016 in a mass shooting in a Charleston church. Richardson previously worked at Kellogg Hansen as an associate.
Allison Jones Rushing
Law School: Duke University School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Williams & Connolly LLP
Confirmed: March 5, 2019
A highly active appellate attorney, Rushing represented a wide variety of clients at the trial and appellate level, including Silk Road defendants at the Supreme Court, Liberty Tax owners at the Fourth Circuit in a $4 million dispute and more. The youngest of President Donald Trump's appellate judges so far, she faced Democratic criticism over her age and Republicans' holding her confirmation hearing during a Congressional recess.
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Cory T. Wilson
Law School: Yale Law School
Formerly: Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals
Nominated: March 30, 2020
The former Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP partner became a state judge in 2019 after three years as a Republican in the state Legislature. He was previously tapped for a federal district judgeship in Mississippi, but Trump named Judge Wilson after a few Senate Republicans objected to a previous nominee as insufficiently conservative. At Judge Wilson's confirmation hearing for his previous nomination, Democrats charged that he was too partisan for the federal judiciary.
Stuart Kyle Duncan
Law School: Louisiana State University Law Center
Formerly: Partner, Schaerr Duncan
Confirmed: April 24, 2018
Former Schaerr Duncan LLP partner Kyle Duncan was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit in late April on a 50-47 tally, Trump's 15th appeals court judge to get Senate approval. Duncan served as Louisiana's solicitor general and appellate chief before joining the private sector. He also served as general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and as chief counsel for the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. challenge to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate as it made its way to the Supreme Court.
Kurt D. Engelhardt
Law School: Louisiana State University Law Center
Formerly: Chief U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana
Confirmed: Sept. 28, 2017
Judge Kurt Engelhardt served as chief district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and takes over a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit. During his time on the bench, he has adjudicated several high-profile criminal trials, including one for five police officers accused of shooting evacuees during Hurricane Katrina.
James C. Ho
Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Partner, Gibson Dunn; solicitor general of Texas
Confirmed: Dec. 14, 2017
Former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP partner Jim Ho was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit on Dec. 14, becoming the first Asian-American judge on the New Orleans-based appeals court, and the sixth sitting Asian-American judge in the country. Ho served early in his career as a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and later became solicitor general for Texas before joining the firm.
Andrew S. Oldham
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: General counsel to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Confirmed: July 18, 2018
Judge Oldham previously served as general counsel to Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's deputy solicitor general. Before that, Oldham worked with Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick in Washington, D.C., and clerked with Justice Samuel Alito and D.C. Circuit Judge David B. Sentelle.
Don Willett
Law School: Duke University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Texas Supreme Court; deputy attorney general of Texas for legal counsel
Confirmed: Dec. 13, 2017
Judge Willett served on his state's high court for 12 years before he was confirmed to the Fifth Circuit. An alumnus of the George W. Bush administration and the Texas Attorney General's Office, Willett was best known for his witty Twitter account, which won a broad following. It's not clear whether the Supreme Court contender will continue his social media activity while on the federal appellate bench.
SIXTH CIRCUIT
John K. Bush
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Partner, Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP
Confirmed: July 20, 2017
Sixth Circuit Judge John K. Bush, one of Trump's more controversial judicial nominees, was confirmed by the Senate 52-47 in the face of Democratic criticism over the judge's partisan blog posts and past public statements. In one post, Judge Bush appeared to conflate decisions of "activist justices" in the Dred Scott case and Roe v. Wade. Bush previously helped lead the litigation department at Bingham Greenebaum, representing corporate clients like Philip Morris USA Inc. and Humana Inc.
Joan Louise Larsen
Law School: Northwestern University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Michigan Supreme Court; professor, University of Michigan School of Law
Confirmed: Nov. 1, 2017
The former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia won confirmation 60-38. She also worked as a Sidley Austin LLP associate and spent time in academia before being named to the Michigan Supreme Court. At her confirmation hearing, Justice Larsen defended her impartiality as Democrats probed her time at the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in the George W. Bush administration. She was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
Eric Murphy
Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: State solicitor of Ohio
Confirmed: March 7, 2019
The Senate confirmed Sixth Circuit Judge Eric Murphy, who represented Ohio's attorney general at the appellate level for years, over the objections of Ohio's homestate Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. He and other Democrats opposed his nomination over arguments he made in the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges case on marriage equality and other issues.
John Nalbanian
Formerly: Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Confirmed: May 15, 2018
Trump's fourth pick to the Sixth Circuit, litigation partner and lead appellate lawyer at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP John B. Nalbandian, was confirmed in May 2018. He represented major telecommunications infrastructure companies like Fiberlight, pharmaceutical companies, West Virginia residents in a class action suit against DuPont and others.
Chad A. Readler
Law School: University of Michigan Law School
Formerly: Acting assistant U.S. attorney general and principal deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, DOJ Civil Division
Confirmed: March 6, 2019
The Senate confirmed Sixth Circuit Judge Chad Readler over the objections of Sen. Brown, all Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, over his involvement in an Affordable Care Act case as a Justice Department official. Democrats uniformly opposed Readler's nomination, and sought to tie a vote against Readler to support for the ACA's pre-existing conditions coverage mandate.
Amul Thapar
Law School: UC Berkeley School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Kentucky
Confirmed: May 25, 2017
Judge Thapar was Trump's first appellate nominee to take the bench after a 52-44 vote largely along party lines in May 2017. Republicans praised his nine-year tenure as a U.S. district judge in Kentucky. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said Thapar was "not right" for the people of Michigan, which is included in the Sixth Circuit. Judge Thapar appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list in September 2016.
SEVENTH CIRCUIT
Amy Coney Barrett
Law School: Notre Dame Law School
Formerly: Professor, Notre Dame Law School
Confirmed: Oct. 31, 2017
Judge Barrett started her career as a clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and later spent over a decade teaching at Notre Dame Law School. Barrett's Catholic faith, however, inspired the brunt of her questioning during a her confirmation hearing, with Democrats questioning her impartiality. Barrett insisted her personal views would not affect her role as a judge and was confirmed by a 55-43 vote. The month after her confirmation she appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list.
Michael Brennan
Law School: Northwestern University School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Gass Weber Mullins
Confirmed: May 10, 2018
Judge Brennan served on the state bench in Milwaukee County for nearly a decade before leaving to join Gass Weber Mullins LLC, where he developed a trial and appellate practice. Brennan's conservative credentials — which include founding the Federalist Society's Milwaukee chapter and defending Wisconsin's "informed consent" abortion law while an assistant district attorney in the 1990s — suggest that he will further push the Chicago appeals court to the right.
Michael Y. Scudder
Formerly: Partner, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
Confirmed: May 14, 2018
The former clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy had spent nearly a decade on white collar and government enforcement matters with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, which he joined after serving as general counsel to President George W. Bush's National Security Council. The White House and Illinois's two Democratic senators worked together on his nomination, a rarity in the Trump administration.
Amy J. St. Eve
Law School: Cornell Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Illinois
Confirmed: May 14, 2018
The judge was elevated after more than 15 years on a federal district court, where she presided over several high-profile Chicago trials, including one in 2013 which she reprimanded President Donald Trump when he was still best known as a brash billionaire real estate mogul. The White House and Illinois's two Democratic senators worked together on her nomination, a rarity in the Trump administration.
EIGHTH CIRCUIT
Ralph Erickson
Law School: University of North Dakota School of Law
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, District of North Dakota
Confirmed: Sept. 28, 2017
One of the few judicial nominees to garner significant bipartisan support so far in Trump's term, former North Dakota U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson was approved to the Eighth Circuit by the Senate in a 95-1 vote on Sept. 28. A county and state court judge before joining the federal bench in 2003, Judge Erickson has chaired the U.S. Sentencing Commission's tribal issues advisory group.
L. Steven Grasz
Law School: University of Nebraska College of Law
Formerly: Senior counsel, Husch Blackwell LLP; chief deputy attorney general of Nebraska
Confirmed: Dec. 12, 2017
Senate Republicans confirmed Husch Blackwell senior counsel L. Steven Grasz to a seat on the Eighth Circuit, brushing aside Democrats' concerns about his partisan bent and a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association. Grasz served as a longtime deputy assistant attorney general for the state of Nebraska, and his tenure there proved a flash point in considering his nomination.
Jonathan A. Kobes
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy chief of staff and counsel, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
Confirmed: Dec. 11, 2018
Judge Kobes became the first Trump appeals court nominee to win confirmation through a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence after outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., withheld his support over concerns about protecting the special counsel's investigation. The American Bar Association gave a "not qualified" to Kobes, a former federal prosecutor turned Senate aide.
David R. Stras
Law School: University of Kansas School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
Confirmed: Jan. 30, 2018
Judge Stras won confirmation 56-24 despite opposition from then-Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., bucking a decades-old tradition of deference home-state senators. At his committee hearing Stras defended his record at Minnesota's high court, including his inclination to defer to lawmakers. He was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
NINTH CIRCUIT
Bridget Shelton Bade
Law School: Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Formerly: U.S. Magistrate Judge, District of Arizona
Confirmed: March 26, 2019
A magistrate judge for the last six years, she's presided over a variety of litigation, including a Labor Department suit over alleged overtime violations by a chain of Arizona restaurants. Bade would fill the open Ninth Circuit seat for Arizona.
Mark J. Bennett
Law School: Cornell Law School
Formerly: Director, Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher
Confirmed: July 10, 2018
Ninth Circuit Judge Mark Bennett rose to prominence as Hawaii's attorney general for eight years under Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, arguing twice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Bennett previously the director of Honolulu firm Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher, where his practice focused on complex civil litigation such as antitrust and securities matters. Bennett's nomination was unique in Trump's term; he received more opposition from Republicans than Democrats over briefs he wrote in Supreme Court cases on gun rights.
Daniel A. Bress
Law School: University of Virginia School of Law
Formerly: Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Confirmed: July 9, 2019
A new pick for the Ninth Circuit, President Donald Trump nominated Bress over the objections of California's home-state Senators, who have not been happy with any of the administration's choices for the vacant California seats on the high-profile appellate court. As a litigator at Kirkland & Ellis, he's been involved in cases involving alleged defects in talc powder, a False Claims Act suit the United States brought against Honeywell Corp. and more.
Patrick J. Bumatay
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California
Confirmed: Dec. 10, 2019
This was the third time Trump tapped Bumatay, a DOJ veteran and an expert on the opioid crisis. His October 2018 nomination for the Ninth Circuit was derailed by opposition from California's two Democratic senators. Bumatay's candidacy for a district-court seat was pending when Trump once again picked him for the appeals court.
Daniel P. Collins
Law School: Stanford Law School
Formerly: Partner, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP
Confirmed: May 21, 2019
President Trump picked a fight with California's Democratic senators by nominating Collins and several other Ninth Circuit picks over their objections. A prominent litigator, Collins has represented companies like Royal Dutch Shell in its suits with various municipalities over the alleged costs of infrastructure damage from climate change.
Danielle J. Hunsaker
Formerly: Presiding Judge, Washington County Circuit Court of Oregon
Confirmed: Nov. 6, 2019
Hunsaker was recommended by Oregon's judicial selection committee to replace Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, the Reagan appointee with whom she clerked. Senate leaders canceled a July 2018 vote on previous nominee Ryan Bounds, another former O'Scannlain clerk whose college writings on race cost him GOP votes.
Kenneth Kiyul Lee
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Confirmed: May 15, 2019
President Trump picked a fight with California's Democratic senators by nominating Lee and several other Ninth Circuit picks over their objections. A former associate counsel to President George W. Bush, Lee has represented a diverse group of clients, including Kraft Foods, Smuckers and even Kanye West since going into private practice.
Eric Miller
Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
Confirmed: Feb. 26, 2019
A longtime Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission attorney, Judge Miller joined Perkins Coie in 2012, where he represented major corporations like Amazon, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, major food companies and others. The Senate confirmed Judge Miller over the objections over both of Washington's Democratic Senators, the first time it had done so in Trump's term.
Ryan Nelson
Law School: Brigham Young University Law School
Formerly: General counsel, Melaleuca Inc.; partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Confirmed: Oct. 11, 2018
Trump's third confirmed pick for the influential Ninth Circuit was previously general counsel for Idaho-based household goods giant Melaleuca Inc. Trump first tapped Nelson for the Interior Department's top legal job. Nelson previously worked on Supreme Court nominations for former Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and led the Environment and Natural Resources Division at President George W. Bush's DOJ.
Lawrence VanDyke
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: Deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division
Confirmed: Dec. 11, 2019
As a top DOJ lawyer, VanDyke defended the Trump administration's decisions to revoke Obama-era fracking regulations and allow Alaskan oil and gas exploration. He previously served as solicitor general for both Nevada and Montana. He led a coalition of states that won a nationwide injunction in 2016 against the Obama administration's controversial rule expanding overtime protections. He also represented Nevada in its fight against federal plans to preserve habitat for the greater sage-grouse. He previously worked at Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP.
TENTH CIRCUIT
Joel M. Carson III
Formerly: Principal, Carson Ryan LLC
Confirmed: May 15, 2018
As a partner with his Roswell-based firm, Carson represented energy companies in disputes with state and federal regulators and worked on legal issues for various industry associations and a conservative legal foundation. Carson also served as a part-time magistrate judge and on the New Mexico Supreme Court's Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.
Allison Eid
Law School: University of Chicago Law School
Formerly: Justice, Colorado Supreme Court; Professor, University of C cago Law School
Confirmed: Nov. 2, 2017
The vacancy left by Neil Gorsuch's elevation to the Supreme Court was filled in November 2017 with the confirmation of Eid, a former justice on Colorado's top bench. Eid won a rare three Democratic votes for her approval, after many in the party looked suspiciously on her past writings, decisions and advocacy on federal power, gun rights and civil liability. She was among the first 11 judges on Trump's Supreme Court short list in May 2016.
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Elizabeth Branch
Law School: Emory University School of Law
Formerly: Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals; professor, University of Minnesota Law School
Confirmed: Feb. 27, 2018
Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth "Lisa" Branch is Trump's second appointee to the Eleventh Circuit following her confirmation with bipartisan support in February. Active in the Federalist Society's Atlanta chapter and an alumna of the Bush Department of Homeland Security and Office of Management and Budget, Branch joins four other full-time female judges on the 12-member appeals court, replacing female U.S. Circuit Judge Frank M. Hull. Branch defended her originalist principles during a Dec. 13 confirmation hearing in the Judiciary Committee.
Andrew L. Brasher
Law School: Harvard Law School
Formerly: U.S. District Judge, Middle District of Alabama
Confirmed: Feb. 11, 2020
One of Trump's youngest appellate picks, Judge Brasher was tapped for a promotion just six months after a party-line Senate vote made him a U.S. district judge despite opposition from Alabama's Democratic senator, Doug Jones. He previously served five years as the state's solicitor general, defending laws including an overturned abortion restriction. He has practiced with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and clerked with Eleventh Circuit Judge William H. Pryor Jr.
Britt C. Grant
Formerly: Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
Confirmed: July 31, 2018
Grant won confirmation to the Eleventh Circuit over the objections of most Democrats. The previous year she had appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal appointed her in January 2017 to the state's Supreme Court; before that, she had served as the state's solicitor general since 2015. She was previously a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a law clerk to then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh and a staffer in the Bush White House.
Barbara Lagoa
Law School: Columbia University School of Law
Formerly: Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Confirmed: Nov. 20, 2019
The former Greenberg Traurig LLP commercial litigator got the nod a few months after becoming the first Cuban-American woman on the state's high court. She spent 13 years the state's Third District Court of Appeal and also previously worked as a federal prosecutor.
Robert J. Luck
Law School: University of Florida Levin College of Law
Formerly: Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Confirmed: Nov. 19, 2019
The former Greenberg Traurig LLP commercial litigator got the nod a few months after joining the state's high court. He previously spent two years on the state's Third District Court of Appeal and four years as a trial judge in Miami's 11th Judicial Circuit Court. Before working as a federal prosecutor, he clerked for Eleventh Circuit Judge Edward E. Carne.
Kevin Newsom
Formerly: Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Confirmed: Aug. 1, 2017
Judge Newsom was approved with some Democratic support in a 66-31 vote. A Harvard Law grad who clerked for Justice David Souter, Newsom's path to the Eleventh Circuit included a stop at Covington & Burling LLP, a stint as Alabama's solicitor general and a decade in the Birmingham office of Bradley Arant, where he eventually led the firm's appellate practice. A few months after his confirmation he appeared on Trump's Supreme Court short list.
FAILED NOMINATIONS
Ninth Circuit, Ryan BoundsIn a dramatic last-minute reversal, Republican leaders scuttled a planned Senate vote on the federal prosecutor rather than have the nominee fail to win confirmation. Several GOP senators said they had concerns about his controversial college writings, especially on race.
Fifth Circuit, Judge Halil S. Ozerden
The Mississippi federal judge ran into trouble with social conservatives who questioned his dismissal of a case challenging the Obama administration's rules on contraceptive coverage. With Democrats skeptical and just a narrow GOP margin on the Judiciary Committee, the candidacy languished until the White House announced a new pick in March 2020.
Western District of Michigan, Michael S. Bogren
Bogren withdrew from consideration in June 2019 after Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley accused him of anti-religious animus during his confirmation hearing. Bogren had defended a city that had blocked a couple from a municipal farmers market because they did not allow same-sex couples to rent their farm as a wedding venue. Bogren said he was a victim of "gross mischaracterizations" after social conservatives campaigned against his confirmation.
Eastern District of North Carolina, Thomas A. FarrThe Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC partner's long pursuit of a federal judgeship — which included two nominations under President George W. Bush — may have finally come to an end after Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pulled his support in November 2018. Scott cited a DOJ memo detailing alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act by a congressional campaign that Farr had represented. A federal prosecutor turned law professor finally filled the 14-year vacancy in December 2019.
Eastern District of Wisconsin, Gordon Giampietro
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. attorney reportedly lost the support of Wisconsin's Democratic senator, Tammy Baldwin, over unacknowledged blog posts and radio interviews about diversity, gay marriage and birth control. He was never formally withdrawn, but the president did not renominate him after the nomination expired in January 2019.
District of Alaska, Jon Katchen
Trump tapped the Holland & Hart LLP partner in April 2018. He had worked for Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and clerked for the president's sister, then-Third Circuit Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. However, the Senate Judiciary Committee never scheduled a confirmation hearing. In August 2018, Katchen told Alaska Public Media he withdrew because of uncertainty about the process. In February 2020, the Senate confirmed another pick for the seat: Joshua M. Kindred, a veteran of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and the Anchorage District Attorney's Office.
Northern District of New York, Judge Thomas Marcelle
The White House withdrew the Cohoes City Court judge's nomination in September 2019. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., reportedly blocked consideration because of concerns over his views on abortion.
Eastern District of Texas, Jeffrey C. MateerMateer's nomination prospects collapsed after a video emerged of him delivering a lecture titled "The Church and Homosexuality" to a group of pastors, in which he said a transgender child plays a role in "Satan's plan."
John M. O'Connor, Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma
The Hall Estill shareholder withdrew after a scathing ABA review said peers questioned his integrity, including "evidence of overbilling" and "an improper ex parte communication with a court." The president later tapped a younger member of the same firm, John F. Heil.
District of Columbia, Matthew S. PetersenFederal Election Commissioner Matthew Petersen blew his chances at a federal judgeship during his Senate confirmation hearing in mid-December, when he was unable to define basic trial terms like a "motion in limine."
District of New Mexico, Judge Kevin R. Sweazea
The federal magistrate judge withdrew from consideration in October 2019. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told Law360 there were "vetting issues." A local paper reported that Judge Sweazea had signed a marriage license for a pregnant 15-year-old girl and a 29-year-old police officer whose father was a judge.
Middle District of Alabama, Brett J. TalleyBrett Talley's nomination sank following reports of thousands of anonymous online postings he authored, including one in which he appeared to defend the legacy of the early Ku Klux Klan, as well as his omission of his marriage to a White House lawyer in his Senate questionnaire. He received a "not qualified" rating from the ABA and acknowledged that he had never tried a case.
| DISTRICT COURT NOMINEES | |
| Middle District of Alabama | Status |
| Edmund G. LaCour Jr. Solicitor general of Alabama |
Nominated May 20, 2020 |
| Andrew Brasher Solicitor general of Alabama |
Confirmed May 1, 2019 |
| R. Austin Huffaker Jr. Shareholder, Rushton Stakely Johnston & Garrett PA |
Confirmed Dec. 4, 2019 |
| Emily C. Marks Partner, Ball Ball Matthews & Novak PA |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| Brett J. Talley U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy |
Expired Jan. 3, 2018 |
| Northern District of Alabama | Status |
| Annemarie Axon Member, Wallace Jordan Ratliff & Brandt LLC |
Confirmed June 6, 2018 |
| Liles Burke Judge, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Corey L. Maze Special deputy Alabama attorney general |
Confirmed June 12, 2019 |
| Anna M. Manasco Partner, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP |
Confirmed May 20, 2020 |
| Southern District of Alabama | Status |
| Jeff Beaverstock Partner, Burr & Forman LLP |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| Terry F. Moorer U.S. magistrate judge, Middle District of Alabama |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| District of Alaska | Status |
| Joshua M. Kindred Regional solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior |
Confirmed Feb. 12, 2020 |
| Jon Katchen Partner, Holland & Hart LLP |
Expired Jan. 3, 2019 |
| District of Arizona | Status |
| Susan Brnovich Trial court judge, Maricopa County Superior Court |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| John C. Hinderaker Trial court judge, Pima County Superior Court |
Confirmed Sept. 23, 2020 |
| Dominic W. Lanza Chief assistant U.S. attorney, District of Arizona |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Michael Liburdi Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP |
Confirmed July 30, 2019 |
| Scott H. Rash Judge, Arizona Superior Court |
Confirmed May 19, 2020 |
| Eastern District of Arkansas | Status |
| Lee Philip Rudofsky Senior director for global anti-corruption compliance, Walmart Inc. |
Confirmed Nov. 7, 2019 |
| Central District of California | Status |
| Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court |
Confirmed Dec. 20, 2020 |
| Stanley Blumenfeld Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court |
Confirmed Sept. 15, 2020 |
| John W. Holcomb Partner, Greenberg Gross LLP |
Confirmed Sept. 15, 2020 |
| Steve Kim U.S. magistrate judge, Central District of California |
Nominated Sept. 20. 2019 |
| Sandy Nunes Leal Judge, Orange County Superior Court |
Nominated Aug. 28, 2019 |
| Rick Richmond Partner, Jenner & Block |
Nominated Aug. 28, 2019 |
| Jeremy B. Rosen Partner, Horvitz & Levy LLP |
Nominated Oct. 10, 2018 |
| Mark C. Scarsi Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCoy LLP |
Confirmed Sept. 15, 2020 |
| Eastern District of California | Status |
| James P. Arguelles Judge, Sacramento County Superior Court |
Nominated June 8, 2020 |
| Dirk B. Paloutzian Shareholder, Baker Manock & Jensen PC |
Nominated April 29, 2020 |
| Southern District of California | Status |
| Adam L. Braverman Associate deputy U.S. attorney general |
Nominated Aug. 28, 2019 |
| Shireen Matthews Partner, Jones Day |
Nominated Aug. 28, 2019 |
| Knut S. Johnson Law Office of Knut S. Johnson |
Nominated Sept. 20, 2019 |
| Michelle M. Pettit Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of California |
Nominated Sept. 20, 2019 |
| Todd W. Robinson Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of California |
Confirmed Sept. 16, 2020 |
| District of Colorado | Status |
| Daniel D. Domenico Managing partner, Kittredge LLC |
Confirmed April 9, 2019 |
| District of Connecticut | Status |
| Kari A. Dooley Judge, Connecticut Superior Court |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Barbara Bailey Jongbloed Judge, New London Superior Court |
Nominated Aug. 28, 2019 |
| District of Delaware | Status |
| Colm F. Connolly Partner, Morgan Lewis Bockius LLP |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| Maryellen Noreika Partner, Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| District of Columbia | Status |
| Dabney Friedrich Former member, U.S. Sentencing Commission |
Confirmed Nov. 27, 2017 |
| Timothy Kelly Chief counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee |
Confirmed Sept. 8, 2017 |
| Trevor McFadden Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, DOJ Criminal Division |
Confirmed Oct. 30, 2017 |
| Carl J. Nichols Partner, WilmerHale |
Confirmed May 22, 2018 |
| Middle District of Florida | Status |
| Kathryn Kimball Mizelle Associate, Jones Day |
Confirmed Nov. 18, 2020 |
| John L. Badalamenti Judge, Florida's Second District Court of Appeal |
Confirmed June 1, 2020 |
| Thomas P. Barber Judge, Florida's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit |
Confirmed June 12, 2019 |
| Wendy Williams Berger Judge, Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal |
Confirmed July 24, 2019 |
| William F. Jung Partner, Jung & Sisco PA |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Northern District of Florida | Status |
| T. Kent Wetherell II Judge, Florida's First District Court of Appeal |
Confirmed July 10, 2019 |
| Allen Winsor Judge, Florida's First District Court of Appeal |
Confirmed June 19, 2019 |
| Southern District of Florida | Status |
| Roy K. Altman Partner, Podhurst Orseck P.A. |
Confirmed April 4, 2019 |
| Rodolfo "Rudy" Ruiz II Judge, Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit |
Confirmed May 2, 2019 |
| Anuraag "Raag" Singhal Judge, Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Rodney Smith Judge, Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit |
Confirmed June 12, 2019 |
| Aileen M. Cannon Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of Florida |
Confirmed Nov. 12, 2020 |
| Middle District of Georgia | Status |
| Tilman Eugene Self III Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals |
Confirmed March 5, 2018 |
| Northern District of Georgia | Status |
| Michael Lawrence Brown Partner, Alston & Bird LLP |
Confirmed Jan. 11, 2018 |
| J.P. Boulee Judge, Dekalb County Superior Court |
Confirmed June 12, 2019 |
| Steven D. Grimberg General counsel, Nardello & Co. |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| William Ray II Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Southern District of Georgia | Status |
| R. Stan Baker U.S. magistrate judge, Southern District of Georgia |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| District of Guam (an Article IV territorial court) |
Status |
| Maria Teresa B. Cenzon Judge, Superior Court of Guam |
Nominated Nov. 13, 2020 |
| District of Hawaii | Status |
| Jill A. Otake Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawaii |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| District of Idaho | Status |
| David Nye Judge, Sixth District of Idaho |
Confirmed July 12, 2017 |
| Northern District of Illinois | Status |
| Franklin U. Valderrama Associate judge, Circuit Court of Cook County |
Confirmed Sept. 17, 2020 |
| Iain D. Johnston U.S. magistrate judge, Northern District of Illinois |
Confirmed Sept. 17, 2020 |
| John F. Kness General counsel, College of DuPage |
Confirmed Feb. 12, 2020 |
| Martha M. Pacold Deputy general counsel, U.S. Department of the Treasury |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Mary M. Rowland U.S. magistrate judge, Northern District of Illinois |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Steven C. Seeger Senior trial counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| Southern District of Illinois | Status |
| David W. Dugan Judge, Illinois' Third Judicial Circuit Court |
Confirmed Sept. 16, 2020 |
| Stephen P. McGlynn Judge, Illinois' Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court |
Confirmed Sept. 16, 2020 |
| Northern District of Indiana | Status |
| Holly A. Brady Partner, Haller & Colvin PC |
Confirmed April 10, 2019 |
| Damon R. Leichty Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP |
Confirmed July 10, 2019 |
| Southern District of Indiana | Status |
| James R. Sweeney II Partner, Barnes & Thornburg |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| J.P. Hanlon Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Northern District of Iowa | Status |
| C.J. Williams Chief magistrate judge, Northern District of Iowa |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| District of Kansas | Status |
| Holly L. Teeter Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Missouri |
Confirmed Aug. 1, 2018 |
| John W. Broomes Attorney, Hinkle Law Firm LLC |
Confirmed April 12, 2018 |
| Toby Crouse Kansas solicitor general |
Confirmed Nov. 17, 2020 |
| Eastern District of Kentucky | Status |
| Robert E. Wier U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of Kentucky |
Confirmed June 5, 2018 |
| Western District of Kentucky | Status |
| Benjamin J. Beaton Partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP |
Confirmed Nov. 17, 2020 |
| Justin R. Walker Assistant professor, University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law |
Confirmed Oct. 24, 2019 |
| Rebecca G. Jennings Director, Middleton Reutlinger |
Confirmed April 12, 2018 |
| Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky | Status |
| Claria Horn Boom Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLC |
Confirmed April 10, 2018 |
| Eastern District of Louisiana | Status |
| Barry W. Ashe Partner, Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| Greg G. Guidry Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court |
Confirmed June 19, 2019 |
| Wendy B. Vitter General counsel, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans |
Confirmed May 16, 2019 |
| Western District of Louisiana | Status |
| James D. Cain, Jr. Founding partner, Loftin Cain & LeBlanc LLC |
Confirmed June 19, 2019 |
| Terry Doughty Judge, Fifth Judicial District of Louisiana |
Confirmed March 6, 2018 |
| David C. Joseph U.S. attorney, Western District of Louisiana |
Confirmed July 28, 2020 |
| Michael J. Juneau Partner, Juneau David APLC |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Robert R. Summerhays U.S. bankruptcy judge, Western District of Louisiana |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| District of Maine | Status |
| Lance Walker Justice, Maine Supreme Court |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| District of Maryland | Status |
| Stephanie A. Gallagher U.S. magistrate judge, District of Maryland |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| Eastern District of Michigan | Status |
| Stephanie Dawkins Davis U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of Michigan |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Western District of Michigan | Status |
| Hala Y. Jarbou Judge, Oakland County Circuit Court |
Confirmed Sept. 10, 2020 |
| Michael S. Bogren Managing partner, Plunkett Cooney PC |
Withdrawn June 26, 2019 |
| District of Minnesota | Status |
| Nancy E. Brasel Judge, Minnesota State District Court |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| Eric C. Tostrud Of counsel, Lockridge Grindal Nauen |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Southern District of Mississippi | Status |
| Taylor B. McNeel Partner, Brunini Grantham Grower & Hewes PLLC |
Confirmed Dec. 1, 2020 |
| Kristi H. Johnson Mississippi solicitor general |
Confirmed Nov. 17, 2020 |
| Eastern District of Missouri |
Status |
| Stephen R. Clark Founder, Runnymede Law Group |
Confirmed May 22, 2019 |
| Sarah E. Pitlyk Special counsel, Thomas More Society |
Confirmed Dec. 4, 2019 |
| Matthew T. Schelp Partner, Husch Blackwell |
Confirmed Feb. 12, 2020 |
| District of Nebraska | Status |
| Brian C. Buescher Partner, Kutak Rock LLP |
Confirmed July 24, 2019 |
| District of Nevada | Status |
| Jennifer P. Togliatti Senior judge, Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court |
Nominated Oct. 16, 2019 |
| District of New Mexico | Status |
| Fred J. Federici III First assistant U.S. attorney, District of New Mexico |
Nominated May 28, 2020 |
| Brenda M. Saiz Director, Rodey Dickason Sloan Akin & Robb PA |
Nominated May 28, 2020 |
| Kea W. Riggs Judge, New Mexico Fifth Judicial Circuit |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Kevin R. Sweazea U.S. magistrate judge, District of New Mexico |
Withdrawn October 2019 |
| Eastern District of New York |
Status |
| David C. Woll Jr. Principal deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development |
Nominated Aug. 12, 2020 |
| Hector Gonzalez Partner, Dechert LLP |
Nominated Aug. 12, 2020 |
| Saritha Komatireddy Deputy chief of general crimes, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York |
Nominated Feb. 12, 2020 |
| Gary R. Brown U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of New York |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Diane Gujarati Deputy chief of the Criminal Division, Southern District of New York |
Confirmed Sept. 10, 2020 |
| Eric R. Komitee General counsel, Viking Global Investors LP |
Confirmed Dec. 3, 2019 |
| Rachel P. Kovner Assistant to the U.S. solicitor general |
Confirmed Oct. 16, 2019 |
| Northern District of New York | Status |
| Ryan T. McAllister Counsel, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP |
Nominated Aug. 12, 2020 |
| Thomas Marcelle Judge, Cohoes City Court |
Withdrawn Sept. 19, 2019 |
| Southern District of New York | Status |
| Jennifer H. Rearden Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP |
Nominated Feb. 20, 2020 |
| John P. Cronan Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general |
Confirmed Aug. 6, 2016 |
| Philip M. Halpern Managing partner, Collier, Halpern, Newberg & Nolletti LLP |
Confirmed Feb. 12, 2020 |
| Iris Lan Associate deputy U.S. attorney general |
Nominated Nov. 6, 2019 |
| Lewis J. Liman Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Mary K. Vyskocil U.S. bankruptcy judge, Southern District of New York |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Western District of New York | Status |
| John L. Sinatra Jr. Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP |
Confirmed Dec. 4, 2019 |
| Eastern District of North Carolina | Status |
| Richard E. Myers II Professor, University of North Carolina School of Law |
Confirmed Dec. 5, 2019 |
| Western District of North Carolina | Status |
| Kenneth D. Bell Partner, McGuire Woods LLP |
Confirmed May 22, 2019 |
| District of North Dakota | Status |
| Daniel Mack Traynor Shareholder, Traynor Law Firm |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Peter Welte Shareholder, Vogel Law Firm |
Confirmed July 30, 2019 |
| Northern District of Ohio | Status |
| James R. Knepp II U.S. magistrate judge, Northern District of Ohio |
Confirmed Nov. 10, 2020 |
| J. Philip Calabrese Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed Dec. 1, 2020 |
| Pamela A. Barker Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed June 12, 2019 |
| Southern District of Ohio | Status |
| Michael J. Newman U.s. magistrate judge, Southern District of Ohio |
Confirmed Oct. 22, 2020 |
| Douglas R. Cole Partner, Organ Cole LLP |
Confirmed Dec. 3, 2019 |
| Matthew W. McFarland Judge, Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals |
Confirmed Dec. 18, 2019 |
| Sarah Daggett Morrison CEO, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation |
Confirmed June 11, 2019 |
| Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma |
Status |
| John F. Heil III Shareholder, Hall Estill |
Confirmed May 20, 2020 |
| John M. O'Connor Shareholder, Hall Estill |
Withdrawn March 14, 2019 |
| Western District of Oklahoma |
Status |
| Bernard M. Jones U.S. magistrate judge, Western District of Oklahoma |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Jodi W. Dishman Shareholder, McAfee & Taft |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Scott L. Palk Assistant dean, University of Oklahoma College of Law |
Confirmed Oct. 26, 2017 |
| Patrick Wyrick Justice, Oklahoma Supreme Court |
Confirmed April 9, 2019 |
| Charles Goodwin U.S. magistrate judge, Western District of Oklahoma |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| District of Oregon | Status |
| Karin J. Immergut Judge, Multnomah County Circuit Court |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Eastern District of Pennsylvania | Status |
| John M. Gallagher Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Chad F. Kenney Judge, Delaware County Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Karen S. Marston Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Joshua D. Wolson Partner, Dilworth Paxson LLP |
Confirmed May 2, 2019 |
| John Milton Younge Judge, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Middle District of Pennsylvania | Status |
| Jennifer P. Wilson Partner, Philpott Wilson |
Confirmed Nov. 7, 2019 |
| Western District of Pennsylvania | Status |
| Christy Criswell Wiegand Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Sept. 9, 2020 |
| Susan Paradise Baxter U.S. magistrate judge, Western District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Aug. 28, 2018 |
| Robert J. Colville Judge, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed Dec. 19, 2019 |
| Stephanie L. Haines Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| William Scott Hardy Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins |
Confirmed July 27, 2020 |
| Marilyn Jean Horan Judge, Butler County Court of Common Pleas |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Peter J. Phipps U.S. magistrate judge, Western District of Pennsylvania |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| J. Nicholas Ranjan Partner, K&L Gates LLP |
Confirmed July 10, 2019 |
| William S. Stickman Partner, Del Sole Cavanaugh Stroyd LLC |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| District of Puerto Rico | Status |
| Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach Partner, McConnell Valdés LLC |
Confirmed May 2, 2019 |
| Silvia Carreño-Coll U.S. magistrate judge, District of Puerto Rico |
Confirmed Feb. 25, 2020 |
| District of Rhode Island | Status |
| Mary McElroy Public defender, state of Rhode Island |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| District of South Carolina | Status |
| Joseph Dawson III County attorney, Charleston County |
Confirmed Dec. 16, 2020 |
| Sherri A. Lydon U.S. attorney, District of South Carolina |
Confirmed Dec. 5, 2019 |
| Donald C. Coggins Jr. Partner, Harrison White Smith & Coggins PC |
Confirmed Nov. 16, 2017 |
| A. Marvin Quattlebaum Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Eastern District of Tennessee | Status |
| Katherine A. Crytzer Principal deputy assistant U.S. attorney general |
Confirmed Dec. 16, 2020 |
| Charles E. Atchley Jr. First assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Tennessee |
Confirmed Dec. 17, 2020 |
| Clifton L. Corker U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of Tennessee |
Confirmed July 18, 2019 |
| Middle District of Tennessee | Status |
| William Campbell Jr. Member, Frost Brown Todd LLC |
Confirmed Jan. 9, 2018 |
| Eli Richardson Member, Bass Berry & Sims PLC |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Western District of Tennessee | Status |
| Mark Norris Sr. Special counsel, Adams and Reese LLP |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Thomas Parker Shareholder, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC |
Confirmed Jan. 10, 2018 |
| Eastern District of Texas | Status |
| J. Campbell Barker Deputy Texas solicitor general |
Confirmed May 1, 2019 |
| Sean D. Jordan Partner, Jackson Walker LLP |
Confirmed July 30, 2019 |
| Jeremy D. Kernodle Partner, Haynes and Boone LLP |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |
| Michael J. Truncale Partner, Orgain Bell & Tucker LLP |
Confirmed May 14, 2019 |
| Northern District of Texas | Status |
| Ada E. Brown Justice, Texas' Fifth Court of Appeals |
Confirmed Sept. 11, 2019 |
| James Wesley Hendrix Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Texas |
Confirmed July 30, 2019 |
| Matthew Kacsmaryk Deputy general counsel, First Liberty Institute |
Confirmed June 19, 2019 |
| Mark Pittman Justice, Texas' Second Court of Appeals |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Karen Scholer Partner, Carter Scholer PLLC |
Confirmed March 5, 2018 |
| Brantley Starr Deputy first assistant Texas attorney general |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Southern District of Texas | Status |
| Drew B. Tipton Partner, BakerHostetler |
Confirmed June 3, 2020 |
| Jeffrey V. Brown Justice, Texas Supreme Court |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| Charles R. Eskridge Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP |
Confirmed Oct. 16, 2019 |
| Fernando Rodriguez Jr. Attorney, International Justice Mission |
Confirmed June 5, 2018 |
| David Morales Partner, Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP |
Confirmed April 10, 2019 |
| Western District of Texas | Status |
| Alan D. Albright Partner, Bracewell LLP |
Confirmed Sept. 6, 2018 |
| Walter David Counts III U.S. magistrate judge, Western District of Texas |
Confirmed Jan. 11, 2018 |
| Jason K. Pulliam Of counsel, Prichard Young LLP |
Confirmed July 31, 2019 |
| District of Utah | Status |
| David B. Barlow Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP; U.S. Attorney for Utah |
Confirmed Dec. 3, 2019 |
| Howard C. Nielson Partner, Cooper & Kirk |
Confirmed May 22, 2019 |
| District of the Virgin Islands (an Article IV territorial court) |
Status |
| Robert A. Molloy Judge, Superior Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands |
Confirmed Feb. 25, 2019 |
| Eastern District of Virginia | Status |
| Rossie Alston Jr. Judge, Virginia Court of Appeals |
Confirmed June 10, 2019 |
| David J. Novak U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of Virginia |
Confirmed Oct. 16, 2019 |
| Roderick C. Young U.S. magistrate judge, Eastern District of Virginia |
Confirmed Sept. 24, 2020 |
| Western District of Virginia | Status |
| Thomas T. Cullen U.S. attorney, Western District of Virginia |
Confirmed Sept. 10, 2020 |
| Southern District of West Virginia | Status |
| Frank W. Volk Chief judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia |
Confirmed Oct. 16, 2019 |
| Eastern District of Wisconsin | Status |
| Brett H. Ludwig U.S. bankruptcy judge, Eastern District of Wisconsin |
Confirmed Sept. 9, 2020 |
| Gordon Giampietro Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. attorney |
Expired Jan. 4, 2019 |
| Northern District of West Virginia | Status |
| Thomas S. Kleeh Partner, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC |
Confirmed Oct. 11, 2018 |