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Washington D.C. – Today, Accountable.US announced the launch of its judicial nominations watch– an investigative research project to expose the extreme records of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees and the corporate and far-right interests propping them up. 

The announcement comes on the heels of Trump’s first judicial nominations of his second term, reigniting his extreme campaign to pack the courts at every level with far-right judicial nominees that will do his bidding. Among the nominees are Trump loyalists who have signed on to amicus briefs openly supporting his unconstitutional actions, including to end birthright citizenship and to consolidate Trump’s power by intervening in independent federal agencies.  

“Donald Trump’s first term was marked by a crusade to capture the judiciary and push it further to the right, as Republicans in Congress and their special interest backers joined him in using the courts to expand corporate power at Americans’ expense,” said Accountable.US President Caroline Ciccone. “Now, Trump is taking his judicial power grab even further by packing the courts with far-right nominees who have shown more loyalty to the President than our Constitution, and who would undermine our fundamental freedoms and impose their ideological agenda to control our lives. Donald Trump’s judicial bench would fundamentally reshape our country and shift the balance of power to special interests and away from ordinary families. We’re not going to let it happen without a fight – that’s why in the coming months Accountable.US will be shining a spotlight on the extreme records of Trump’s judicial nominees and the harm they would cause to families.”

READ MORE ON TRUMP’S DANGEROUS JUDICIAL NOMINEES: 

Whitney Hermandorfer, nominee to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals 

Whitney Hermandorfer has practiced law for fewer than ten years. Yet in her limited time practicing law, she’s proven she would put her loyalty to Trump above all else. Since Trump took office, she has signed on to multiple amicus briefs supporting his unconstitutional actions, including one backing his EO ending birthright citizenship and another seeking to eliminate the independence of independent agencies. Equally concerning, her professional experience is largely based on advancing a far-right agenda, including in her current role heading up the Tennessee Attorney General’s Strategic Litigation Unit. 

Joshua Divine, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and Western District of Missouri

Joshua Divine has made his career in right-wing Missouri legal circles. He previously served as counsel for Senator Josh Hawley and is currently the solicitor general of Missouri, overseeing the state’s appellate and special litigation division. Divine has defended some of the nation’s most extreme anti-abortion laws, even intervening in the lawsuit seeking to rollback the FDA’s mifepristone approval—which even the Trump administration has said should be tossed out. Divine has defended Trump’s abuse of power, even asking the Supreme Court to lift his gag order and delay his felony sentencing before the 2024 election.

Maria Lanahan, nominee to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Serving as principal deputy solicitor general in Missouri, Maria Lanahan has fought Missouri’s conservative culture war in court alongside Joshua Divine. Lanahan also intervened in the FDA mifepristone case, defended Missouri’s abortion ban in court, and challenged Planned Parenthood. She is involved in cases challenging a ban on conversion therapy, defending a Missouri law rolling back state employees’ employment protections, and blocking ESG investing.

Cristian Stevens, nominee to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Cristian Stevens is currently a judge on the Missouri Eastern District Court of Appeals. Previously, he served as a deputy attorney general of the criminal division in the Missouri AG’s office, United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri, and attorney at Big Law firms. Stevens led the federal investigation into Michael Brown’s shooting by a Ferguson police officer in 2014.

Zachary Bluestone, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Zachary Bluestone graduated from Harvard Law School in 2016 and has therefore practiced law for less than a decade. While in school, Bluestone reportedly studied under Justice Brett Kavanaugh and later signed on to a letter supporting Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. In 2018, Bluestone went to work for then-Missouri attorney general Josh Hawley, whose office was pursuing multiple politically-motivated cases, including one seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act.

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