Trump names four more judicial nominees, teeing up March confirmation hearing
They include the first woman of color he’s nominated to a judgeship during his second term.
Trump on Thursday morning, in a series of four Truth Social posts, announced more judicial nominees: Katie Lane for the District of Montana, Sheria Clarke for the District of South Carolina, Kara Westercamp for the Court of International Trade, and Evan Rikhye for the District of the Virgin Islands. These are the first judicial nominees Trump has publicly announced in more than five weeks.
The inclusion of three women in one slate of judicial nominations is unusual for this president, whose 33 confirmed judges this term include just eight women. Clarke is the first woman of color being nominated to a lifetime judgeship since Trump regained the presidency, and she is just the third Black woman he has nominated to a lifetime judgeship in his more than five years in office. She was recommended by Senator Tim Scott.
Katie Lane would be the second woman to ever serve as a lifetime judge on the District of Montana — a state where a lifetime judge of color has never served. She would take the seat currently held by the first woman to serve on the court, Judge Susan Watters, whose semi-retirement to senior status is effective June 8, 2026.
Lane graduated from law school just nine years ago in 2017. This is well below what has historically been considered requisite legal experience for service on the federal bench.
In his announcement of Lane’s nomination, Trump wrote that “Katie brings fantastic experience to her new role, previously serving as Deputy Solicitor General of Montana, a State I love and won big three times! Katie has also played a critical role in stopping Voter Fraud as Senior Counsel for Litigation at the Republican National Committee.”
At a time when Republican lawmakers are seeking to enact heinous voter suppression legislation, and when the administration continues its assault on our democracy (from Pam Bondi’s “ransom” letter requesting Minnesota’s voter rolls, to the FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, and so much more), it is unsurprising that Trump is nominating someone with Lane’s background to a lifetime judgeship.
In a statement, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said that, as deputy solicitor general, “Katie played an integral role in defending Montana’s laws and challenging the Biden administration’s unconstitutional mandates.”
Westercamp, nominated to the Court of International Trade (an Article III court that comes with a lifetime appointment), is currently a White House lawyer. “Kara is a very experienced Trade Lawyer, who spent over a decade working as an Attorney at the Department of Justice, and is now one of the incredible lawyers defending our historic and popular America First Agenda as an Associate Counsel at the White House,” Trump said in his post.
Senators should certainly explore what pieces of Trump’s “historic and popular America First Agenda” Westercamp has been working on since she started her position in the White House last May.
Trump’s last appointee to the Court of International Trade, Stephen Vaden, had a disturbing anti-voting rights record (among other things) and resigned last year to serve as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Finally, Trump nominated Evan Rikhye to the U.S. District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands — an Article IV territorial court where judges serve 10-year terms. Rikhye worked at the Department of Justice for 20 years before becoming senior counsel at Walmart in October 2024, according to his LinkedIn. “Throughout his career, Evan has demonstrated his commitment to the Rule of Law, and will always defend Liberty and Justice for ALL,” Trump said.
Last year, Rikhye signed a letter alongside DOJ colleagues in support of David Bragdon’s confirmation to the Middle District of North Carolina, calling Bragdon “an admirable advocate for the United States” and saying that “he holds himself and those around him to the highest moral standards.” Their letter was at odds with civil rights organizations, who wrote that Bragdon’s appointment “would threaten the rule of law, legitimize extremist beliefs, and expand state punishments like the death penalty and restrict women’s and pregnant people’s rights.” Rikhye’s willingness to sign a letter of enthusiastic support for such a disturbing nominee is troubling.
Pace of nominations
It seems likely that these nominees will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 11 (or March 18, if paperwork wasn’t sent until today) — just the second nominations hearing of the year. During the second years of the last three presidential terms (Biden in 2022, Trump in 2018, and Obama in 2014), the Senate Judiciary Committee has held five hearings on judicial nominations through the month of March (for Biden, this included four regular hearings plus a four-day hearing on Justice Jackson’s nomination).
In December, during his introductory remarks at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, Chair Chuck Grassley put pressure on Trump to pick up the pace on judicial appointments. “I’d like to process even more judicial nominations, but I’m waiting on the president to get those nominations up here,” Grassley said.
Since then, Trump hasn’t exactly picked up the pace. He nominated four people on January 6, and they received a hearing last week. At the same time, no nominees remain pending on the Senate floor following last week’s confirmation spree — when the Senate confirmed six lifetime judges.
Chair Grassley’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment about this pace of nominations.
More to come.