President Donald Trump announced five judicial appointments Tuesday, after nominating his first pick for the federal courts last week.
Axios reported that Trump 2.0 is getting a slower start on his nominees than during his first term, but he also has fewer vacancies to fill.
There are currently only 46 openings, versus over 100 when the Republican president took office in 2017.
Trump nominees announced via Truth Social Tuesday include Zachary Bluestone, Joshua Divine, Maria Lanahan, and Cristian Stevents, all picked for the federal district court positions in Missouri.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 7, 2025
Divine clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and was chief counsel to Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Axios said.
Additionally, Trump chose Edward Aloysius O’Connell — who was a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. — to serve as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The president wrote on Truth Social that O’Connnell “will fix Violent Crime in the City by restoring RULE OF LAW in Washington, D.C.”
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 7, 2025
Last week, Trump announced that Whitney Hermandorfer is his choice for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The court’s jurisdiction includes Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.
The State of Tennessee has trusted Whitney Hermandorfer over and over with complex cases of national significance. She has never let us down. Her leadership of Tennessee’s Strategic Litigation Unit sets a high bar of excellence at every level of the federal judiciary, all the way… pic.twitter.com/n4USvdVKJG
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) May 2, 2025
At this same point during Trump’s first term, Neil Gorsuch had already been confirmed to the Supreme Court, and a federal judge was approved in late May, according to Senate records.
By comparison, Biden, at the same point in his presidency, had his first batch of judges nominated, and seven were confirmed in June 2021.
President Trump is ramping up his judicial nominations — first selecting Whitney Hermandorfer for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, and yesterday announcing nominations in Washington, D.C. and Missouri. Expect to see more of the same duplicated attacks from the Left… pic.twitter.com/dlTjv4DtNu
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) May 7, 2025
Hawley, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said regarding the Trump White House last week, “I’ve been urging them to get a move on,” according to National Review.
“I’ve said to them over and over again, ‘We’ve had a lot of vacancies in Missouri for a long time now and we really need to fill them,’” he added.
Hawley responded to the president’s picks, posting on X, “Four terrific judicial nominees from @realDonaldTrump for the state of Missouri today. I look forward to seeing each swiftly confirmed!”
Four terrific judicial nominees from @realDonaldTrump for the state of Missouri today. I look forward to seeing each swiftly confirmed! https://t.co/PZzae8UQQH
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 6, 2025
Though Trump was very successful in his first term in getting federal judges appointed to the bench, Biden slightly edged him out in the total number.
Pew Research reported that the Democrat appointed 228 judges to Trump’s 226. However, Trump beat Biden in the number of judges placed on the courts of appeals, 54 versus 45.
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