Accountable.US Statement on Trump’s First Judicial Confirmation of Whitney Hermandorfer

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate voted to confirm Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. This vote marks Donald Trump’s first judicial confirmation of his second term, which has been defined by a pattern of nominating judges who show loyalty to the President above the rule of law. In response, Accountable.US President Caroline Ciccone issued the following statement: 

“Whitney Hermandorfer has a clear record of putting her loyalty to Donald Trump over the Constitution, and her confirmation is a direct threat to Americans’ fundamental freedoms. She has stood in lockstep with the President as he pursued blatantly unconstitutional actions and worked to expand executive power. Given that, it’s no wonder Trump picked her for a lifetime appointment to the bench. Since taking office, Trump has rebooted his extreme crusade to capture the courts by hand-picking political loyalists who will carry out his out-of-step agenda. It should raise alarm bells for every American who believes in judicial independence.”

Whitney Hermandorfer has practiced law for less than ten years. Her limited record has nonetheless proven she would put her loyalty to Trump above all else. Since Trump took office, she has signed on to at least two amicus briefs supporting his unconstitutional actions, including one backing his EO ending birthright citizenship and another seeking to eliminate the independence of independent agencies – a record she has tried to run from in her confirmation process. 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.

Read more on Accountable.US’s Judicial Nominations Watch, which tracks and exposes the extremist records of Trump’s nominees. 

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