Judiciary
Trump lawyer picked for appeals court advances to Senate floor
The Senate Judiciary Committee recently voted to send the federal court judge nomination of lawyer Justin Smith, one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers, to the U.S. Senate floor. (Screenshot from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s April 15 judicial nomination hearings)
Updated: The Senate Judiciary Committee recently voted to send the federal court judge nomination of one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers to the U.S. Senate floor.
Lawyer Justin Smith has represented Trump in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Smith has been nominated to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis. The committee vote was 12-10 along party lines.
Smith was given a “qualified” rating by the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
Trump has chosen members of his personal legal teams for several federal appeals court seats. Last year, Judge Emil Bove was confirmed to the 3rd Circuit at Philadelphia. Trump also nominated Sullivan & Cromwell partner Matthew Schwartz for the 2nd Circuit at New York, according to a story by Bloomberg Law.
Smith is currently representing Trump in his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over a sexual abuse and defamation judgment handed down in Carroll’s lawsuit.
Updated May 15 at 12:25 p.m. to note the rating by the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
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