The big picture: During his first term, Trump flipped the federal judiciary with the help of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), together setting a record on the number of judges confirmed.
Trump 2.0 is having a slower start, though there are only 46 judicial vacancies to fill, compared to more than 100 at the start of his first term.
Zoom in: Trump made first judicial nomination of his second term last week, naming Whitney Hermandorfer as his pick. The lawyer served under Tennessee’s Republican attorney general.
The president announced a series of nominations Tuesday for judges to serve on the U.S. District Court in Missouri, including Zachary Bluestone, Joshua Divine and Maria Lanahan.
Bluestone serves as appellate chief in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Missouri, and Lanahan is the state’s principal deputy solicitor general.
Divine has clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and previously served as chief counsel to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
