The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed two nominees put forth by President Donald Trump to serve as federal judges. Among them is a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as well as a lawyer known for challenging transgender athletes’ participation in collegiate women’s sports.
The Senate, under Republican leadership, cast votes of 50-46 and 50-47, respectively, to confirm U.S. Department of Justice attorney Brian Lea to the bench in the Western District of Tennessee and litigator Justin Olson as a judge in the Southern District of Indiana, strictly along party lines.
The recent votes have increased the total number of judicial nominees confirmed by the Senate to 33 during Trump’s second term. The Republican president aims to further solidify his conservative influence on the judiciary, building upon the 234 appointments he made during his first four years in office, which notably shifted the judiciary to the right.
The White House has taken a cautious approach in submitting new nominees for the Senate’s consideration, with only four pending and no additional nominations made in time for further hearings in February, as the lack of new judicial vacancies continues to persist.
Lea, who previously served as a clerk for Justice Thomas, held a partnership at Jones Day before his appointment at the Justice Department at the onset of Trump’s administration. His legal career has primarily unfolded in Georgia, despite his roots in Tennessee, where he only obtained his license to practice last year.
In her role as deputy associate attorney general, Lea took a stand against attempts to significantly reduce research funding allocated to universities by the National Institutes of Health and other agencies. These efforts faced consistent opposition from federal judges in Boston.
Trump nominated Olson, a lawyer at Kroger Gardis & Regas, in November, emphasizing his relentless efforts to protect the integrity of women’s sports by keeping men out.
Olson represented former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, along with other current and former college athletes, in a lawsuit that contested the NCAA policies, which have since been rescinded.
These policies permitted transgender women to compete in women’s sports, provided they adhered to testosterone limits that varied by sport.
During a recent appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 17, he encountered a notable challenge from Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana.
Kennedy questioned him regarding the sermons he delivered in his capacity as an ordained elder of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.
The discussions held in church settings featured remarks characterizing premarital sex as a form of “sexual perversion,” implying that wives ought to be subordinate to their husbands, and referring to “individuals with physical disabilities that may hinder the ideal marriage we aspire to.”
Despite the lingering questions, Kennedy cast his vote on January 15 to move Olson’s nomination forward to the full Senate for consideration. He stated that after meeting with the nominee, he was confident Olson would refrain from imposing personal opinions on the bench and would “simply apply the rule of law.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alabama Solicitor General Edmund “Eddie” LaCour Jr. as a federal judge for the Northern District of Alabama.
The 51-47 vote fell along party lines and fills the vacancy left by Chief Judge L. Scott Coogler, who retired earlier this year.
LaCour’s confirmation caps a string of judicial victories for Alabama’s Senate delegation, following the recent confirmations of former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Bill Lewis and Huntsville attorney Hal Mooty.
LaCour has served as Solicitor General under Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall since 2019, leading many of the state’s most high-profile appellate cases.
Among them was Allen v. Milligan, a significant case on Alabama’s redistricting argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. His confirmation also closes a political chapter that began five years ago.