President Donald Trump’s latest round of judicial nominations, the first since his return to the White House, is heading to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for vetting, signaling his ongoing effort to solidify a lasting conservative imprint on the federal judiciary.
Five of the 11 individuals nominated so far are scheduled to appear before the Republican-controlled committee on Wednesday, where senators will evaluate their qualifications and determine whether to advance their nominations to the full Senate.
All five nominees are recognized for their strong conservative credentials, which allies say will further advance Trump’s goal of steering the judiciary to the right. During his first term, Trump appointed 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices—a near-record for a single presidential term. The resulting 6–3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court has since delivered landmark decisions, including restrictions on abortion rights, rejection of affirmative action in college admissions, and limitations on the regulatory powers of federal agencies.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields reinforced the administration’s commitment to reshaping the judiciary, stating that Trump is focused on
“restoring integrity to the judicial system, which begins with appointing America First judges, not unelected politicians in robes.”
Among those appearing Wednesday is Whitney Hermandorfer, a nominee for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, who has represented Tennessee’s Republican attorney general in legal battles defending the state’s abortion ban and opposing federal protections for transgender youth. She will be joined by four trial court nominees for seats in Missouri.
One of those nominees, Missouri Solicitor General Joshua Divine, is known for challenging President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative and defending state-level restrictions on abortion and transgender healthcare access.
The confirmation process follows Trump’s recent public split with Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, a key figure in advising Trump on judicial appointments during his first term.
“I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations,” Trump wrote. “This is something that cannot be forgotten!”
In response, Leo praised the former president for reshaping the judiciary.
“The judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy.”
Trump’s critique of Leo came shortly after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade, which included a Trump appointee, blocked large portions of the former president’s tariff program—one of several rulings administration officials have described as part of a broader “judicial coup” thwarting Trump’s policies.
Mike Davis, founder of the conservative Article III Project, defended Trump’s current judicial picks, stating:
“In his second term Trump doesn’t need to appease the D.C. establishment with weak and timid judges. He is picking bold and fearless judges, like Emil Bove, who will follow the Constitution instead of seeking establishment favor.”
Bove, a Justice Department official and former defense lawyer for Trump in his recent New York criminal trial, was nominated last week to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination has sparked criticism from Democrats and even some conservatives, including National Review commentator Ed Whelan, who described Bove’s nomination as
“disturbing.”
Whelan acknowledged the influence of Trump’s more ideologically driven supporters:
“Clearly you have some folks agitating for MAGA-type nominees, and the White House will be open to those folks so long as they also have good legal qualifications,”
he said in an interview. Still, Whelan noted that the majority of Trump’s picks continue to reflect conventional conservative legal standards.
“It’s going to be very hard for Trump to pick people other than people with traditional conservative qualifications,”
Whelan added.
