President Donald Trump took the first steps toward nominating judges on Tuesday, putting forward five names as part of his 46 judicial appointments. For weeks, the Senate has been anticipating Trump’s long-awaited judicial nominees. White House representative Karoline Leavitt mentioned in March that they would share a list of names with the media, though there’s been no word on when the nominations or the screening processes might actually start. The White House also provided a list of six judges named for federal courts, which includes someone already serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit.
“Joshua, a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, understands the importance of upholding the rule of law and protecting the constitutional rights of the wonderful people of Missouri. It’s crucial to have a more constitutionally minded judge than ever before. Congrats to Joshua!” Trump expressed in a post on Truth Social the same day.
Last week, Trump appointed Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Hermandorfer is currently the Director of Strategic Litigation at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and has previously worked with judges like Samuel A. Alito and Amy Coney Barrett.
In addition, on Wednesday, Trump appointed Joshua M. Divine from Missouri to serve as a judge in the U.S. District Courts for both the Eastern and Western Missouri Districts. Divine is currently the Chief of Special Litigation for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and had also been a chief advisor to Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
Trump also added Zachary M. Bluestone to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Bluestone, who is presently the Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for that district, has experience as a violent crime prosecutor and was previously a deputy attorney.
On the same day, Maria A. Lanahan was appointed to serve in the Eastern District of Missouri. Lanahan has held the title of Chief Deputy Director in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and has legal experience with Charter Communications, Inc., where she worked as a senior manager and litigation attorney.
Christian M. Stevens has also been named to the courts in the Eastern District of Missouri; he previously served as the deputy attorney general in the Criminal Division at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
Finally, Trump appointed Edward Aloysius O’Connell on Wednesday as an assistant judge in the District of Columbia Superior Court. O’Connell serves as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Advisor at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and has 20 years’ experience as a prosecutor in that district.
