President Donald J. Trump unveiled his initial slate of federal judicial nominees on Tuesday, signaling a focus on individuals with strong conservative credentials and extensive experience in both state and federal legal systems.
The nominations include a mix of appellate and district court judges, with a notable concentration on the state of Missouri.
Whitney D. Hermandorfer of Tennessee has been nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Hermandorfer, currently the Director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, boasts an impressive resume, including clerkships with Justices Samuel A. Alito and Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Richard J. Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She graduated summa cum laude from George Washington University Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.
Missouri features prominently in the President’s nominations.
Joshua M. Divine, the Solicitor General of Missouri, is nominated for the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. Divine’s background includes clerkships with Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Judge William H. Pryor of the Eleventh Circuit.
Zachary M. Bluestone, an appellate chief and violent crimes prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, is nominated for the Eastern District of Missouri. He previously served as Deputy Solicitor General in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
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Maria A. Lanahan, Principal Deputy Solicitor General in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, has also been nominated for the Eastern District of Missouri. Her experience includes work in private practice and as litigation counsel for Charter Communications, Inc.
Cristian M. Stevens, a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, is the fifth Missouri resident to be nominated for the Eastern District Court. He previously held high ranking positions within the Missouri Attorney General’s office, and served as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Edward Aloysius O’Connell of the District of Columbia has been nominated as Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
O’Connell, currently Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, has a long history as a prosecutor in the District of Columbia.
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