President Donald Trump has secured his first federal appellate court confirmation of his second term, with the Senate on Tuesday confirming Whitney Hermandorfer to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hermandorfer, 38, will fill the seat vacated by a retiring judge originally appointed by former President Barack Obama, marking another step in Trump’s long-term effort to reshape the federal judiciary.
The confirmation vote was swift, with Senate Republicans—who hold a narrow majority—rallying behind Hermandorfer’s nomination. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) praised the confirmation as a continuation of the judicial transformation begun under Trump’s first term, which saw more than 230 federal judges confirmed, including three Supreme Court justices.
“Our job now is to continue the good work that we began during the first Trump administration by filling those vacancies with more judges who understand the proper role of a judge,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “And that starts with confirming Ms. Hermandorfer.”
Hermandorfer brings a strong legal résumé to the bench. A graduate of Yale Law School, she clerked for three high-profile conservative jurists: Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his tenure on the D.C. Circuit Court. Her close alignment with the Federalist Society and originalist legal philosophy made her a natural choice for the Trump administration’s judicial pipeline.
Before her nomination, Hermandorfer served in the Tennessee Attorney General’s office under Jonathan Skrmetti. There, she played a prominent role in arguing a major case that recently reached the Supreme Court. That case resulted in a 5–4 ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on transgender athletes competing in sports that don’t match their biological sex—an outcome widely celebrated by conservatives and criticized by civil rights groups.
Hermandorfer’s confirmation marks an early win for President Trump’s second-term judicial strategy, which places a strong emphasis on youth, conservative legal credentials, and ideological reliability. With approximately 50 vacancies across the federal judiciary, Trump and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are expected to move quickly to fill as many seats as possible.
Grassley’s committee has already advanced five nominees, and insiders suggest that additional confirmation hearings are being scheduled for later this summer. The recent passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” has not slowed the Senate’s judicial pace, with leadership signaling they see the courts as a pillar of Trump’s legacy.
While Democrats have criticized Trump’s aggressive push to shift the judiciary, they lack the numbers to block his nominees. Some progressives have expressed concern over the increasing influence of Federalist Society-aligned judges, warning of long-term impacts on civil rights, abortion access, and regulatory oversight.
Nonetheless, with Hermandorfer’s confirmation, Trump continues to solidify his imprint on the judiciary—an arena where his influence may last decades beyond his presidency.
