The U.S. Senate confirmed four of President Donald Trump’s nominees to North Carolina federal courts this week, twice as many as in his entire first term.
Senators voted to approve Lindsey Freeman and David Bragdon to serve the Middle District of North Carolina on Tuesday, and Matthew Orso and Susan Courtwright Rodriguez to serve the Western District of North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Though Trump had an outsized influence on the federal courts in other states during his first term, he appointed just two federal judges for North Carolina.
However, Trump entered office for his second term with twice as many vacancies to fill in North Carolina because Republican senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd refused to negotiate with President Joe Biden on vacancies that opened in the state during his presidency.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) blocked President Joe Biden from appointing judges in North Carolina in 2024, allowing Trump to enter office with four vacancies on the state’s federal bench. (Photo: Senate.gov)That standoff began when Biden nominated North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park for the Fourth Circuit. Tillis and Budd were staunchly opposed to Park’s nomination, and vowed to withhold their “blue slips” for any nominees in the state afterward. (Senate protocol requires the support of at least one senator for district judge nominees in their home state.)
After losing the 2024 election, Biden ultimately rescinded Park’s nomination in a deal to advance several district court judges in other states.
With this week’s confirmation of the four Trump nominees, all active judges in the Middle District of North Carolina are Republican appointees, as are all but one in the Western District.
Each of the new judges has prior experience with the federal judiciary, either as clerks or through litigation, with Orso and Rodriguez succeeding judges they clerked for. All but Bragdon were able to win the support of several Democratic senators in addition to the unanimous support of Republicans.
Orso and Rodriguez, both approved with 57 votes, received the backing of five Democratic senators: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Az.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Freeman’s 60-39 vote was the most bipartisan, with eight senators who caucus with Democrats supporting her: Durbin, Kaine, Shaheen, Whitehouse, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), and Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-Nevada).
Bragdon was confirmed in a 53-45 vote with only Republicans in favor.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond and an expert on the federal courts, said North Carolina will benefit from having a full complement of judges after more than a year of vacancies.
Carl Tobias is a professor at the University of Richmond’s School of Law and an expert on the federal judiciary. (Photo: University of Richmond.)“It’s good for the courts. It’s good for the judges,” Tobias said. “It was important to get them filled. It’s just unfortunate that Democrats didn’t get to put any through because they made it all contingent on [Park’s nomination].”
He added that Democrats should “feel pretty good” that three of the four nominees received bipartisan support in the Senate, and that their backgrounds reflect the level of experience of traditional judicial nominees. “They’re probably more like establishment conservatives.”
Bragdon, a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, faced progressive backlash on reproductive rights and capital punishment. The progressive nonprofit Alliance For Justice wrote to the Judiciary Committee to condemn Bragdon’s hardline positions on both issues in online writings as a law student, which contributed to his lack of Democratic support.
In a Dec. 2 statement, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) praised the Senate for swiftly confirming Bragdon and Freeman.
“Throughout this process, I’ve remained committed to advancing judges who uphold the Constitution, apply the law fairly, and serve with integrity,” Tillis said. “I appreciate the White House’s partnership in identifying strong candidates, and I look forward to seeing both Judge Bragdon and Judge Freeman bring their experience and dedication to the federal bench.”
Hence then, the article about four trump appointees to take the bench in north carolina s federal district courts was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Four Trump appointees to take the bench in North Carolina’s federal district courts )
Also on site :
- Gold Star Distribution Inc., Issues Recall of Certain FDA-Regulated Products in Three States Including Drugs, Devices, Cosmetics, Human Foods, and Pet Foods
- ’Beverly Hills, 90210’s Jason Priestley Shares Bold Callout After ‘Worst’ Travel Experience
- Central African Republic election: Who’s running and what’s at stake?