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U.S. President Donald Trump has made his first judicial nomination since returning to the White House, selecting Whitney Hermandorfer for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Announced Thursday on Truth Social, Trump praised Hermandorfer as “a Fighter who will inspire confidence in our Legal System.”
Hermandorfer currently serves in the office of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. She previously clerked for three conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices and played a key legal role in defending Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban and challenging Biden-era protections for transgender students in schools.
The vacancy on the Cincinnati-based court opened when Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, appointed by former President Barack Obama, signaled her intent to take senior status pending Senate confirmation of a successor. President Biden had nominated Karla Campbell, one of Stranch’s former clerks, but her confirmation stalled amid Republican opposition, particularly from Tennessee’s GOP senators.
In a post-election agreement, Senate leaders advanced about a dozen of Biden’s trial court nominees in exchange for halting progress on four appellate nominees, including Campbell. As a result, the seat remained open for Trump to fill. While Biden managed to confirm 235 judges during his first term—slightly more than Trump’s 234—Trump now has the chance to significantly reshape the federal judiciary over his new term, potentially making over 100 appointments.
Trump’s judicial appointments have long been a hallmark of his conservative agenda, having already shifted the ideological balance of the U.S. Supreme Court to a 6-3 conservative majority. If confirmed, Hermandorfer would further solidify that influence on the federal bench.
This nomination marks the beginning of what could be a major judicial legacy in Trump’s second term.
