Trump kicks off 2026 with 4 new judicial nominees
President Trump announced four new nominees for federal judgeships, continuing his effort to shape the judiciary with conservative appointments.Summary
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced his first judicial nominees for 2026, signaling a continued push to appoint conservative judges during his second term. The nominees include Andrew Davis, former chief counsel to Senator Ted Cruz; Chris Wolfe, a Texas state court judge; Anna St. John, president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute; and John Shepherd, a judge from Arkansas. Davis previously worked as an assistant solicitor general in Texas and advised Senator Cruz on judicial nominees. Wolfe is slated to fill a vacancy in Waco, a courthouse that previously became a major hub for patent litigation. St. John has been involved in challenging class action settlements, arguing they disproportionately benefit lawyers over consumers, and represented a conservative education group in a case defending the Trump administration’s policies on diversity grants. Shepherd, described by Trump as “TOUGH and SMART,” is the son of a current circuit court judge. These nominations reflect Trump’s ongoing strategy to leave a lasting conservative imprint on the federal judiciary.
(Source：Reuters)