by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes
The Senate Judiciary Committee recently advanced the first five federal court nominees of President Trump’s second term. The following now await full Senate confirmation:
“We’ve got some truly excellent and well-qualified nominees,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Committee. “All these nominees have demonstrated the commitment to the rule of law and judicial independence that are essential in our constitutional system.”
He said that Hermandorfer, for example, has been “widely praised by practitioners across the political spectrum for her brilliant legal mind, hard work, kindness and professionalism.”
As religious Americans confront increasing attacks on their rights, our federal courts need judges who are committed to protecting the Constitution, religious liberty and the rule of law. The President’s nominees so far fit that criteria.
“Whitney Hermandorfer has a solid record on religious liberty and an especially good record fighting against government overreach,” said Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel at First Liberty. “We did a deep dive into her record and believe the data trend demonstrates that she will continue to be a supporter of religious liberty and limited government.”
While in private practice, Hermandorfer filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of several religious organizations. The case involved a dispute between a Catholic church in Chicago and a music director who entered into a same-sex marriage in violation of his employment agreement.
In that brief, Hermandorfer argued that religious organizations and churches must be free to select and supervise their ministers and to communicate the teachings of their faith free from government interference. A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the church and held that religious organizations have the freedom to choose and supervise their leaders.
If confirmed, Hermandorfer would fill one of three vacancies on the appeals courts. There are just over 45 vacancies on the lower district courts.
The President nominated former First Liberty attorney Jordan Pratt for a district court seat in Florida. Pratt currently serves as a judge on the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. He was appointed to that position in 2023 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He served as Senior Counsel at First Liberty from 2021 to 2023.
“Jordan will make a great federal judge,” said David Hacker, First Liberty’s Vice President of Legal Services. “As a First Liberty attorney, Jordan demonstrated a deep respect for and commitment to the Constitution and religious liberty.”
According to The Heritage Foundation, Trump is slightly trailing on judicial confirmations compared to his first administration. Two nominees had already been confirmed by this point during Trump’s first term.
Despite a slower start, experts predict the President is still on track to make a massive impact on the judiciary.
Thomas Jipping at The Heritage Foundation estimates that Trump “will have appointed more than 400 judges during his two terms, more than any president in history.”
“Trump will likely, by the end of his second term, secure confirmation of the 150 appointments he needs for bragging rights for having named more judges than any president, topping Ronald Reagan’s 383,” according to the Brookings Institution.
There are 12 nominees working their way through the confirmation process. Those include seven nominees pending with the Judiciary Committee, in addition to the five nominees that recently advanced to the Senate floor.
First Liberty will continue evaluating the record of judicial nominees and providing the facts to the administration on which ones are best qualified to protect your religious freedom.
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