Senate Democrats question loyalty of Trump personal attorney nominated to judgeship
Source: Reuters
Senate Democrats question loyalty of Trump personal attorney nominated to judgeship
By Nate Raymond
April 15, 2026 3:22 PM EDT Updated 13 mins ago
Justin Smith, a nominee to serve as a federal judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, appears before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. via U.S. Senate
Summary
-- Democrats question Justin Smith's ties to Trump, 2020 election stance
-- Smith avoids stating Trump lost 2020 election, citing official certification process
-- Republicans defend Smith, who says he will not seek Trump's input on court cases
April 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday accused one of President Donald Trump's personal attorneys of being a loyalist who refuses to acknowledge Trump's 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
The criticism came as the Senate Judiciary Committee considered Justin Smith's nomination to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Smith represented Trump in his still-pending bid to have the U.S. Supreme Court overturn a jury verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.
Smith is one of three of Trump's nine appellate nominees from his second term who have previously served as personal lawyers to the president. The Senate in July confirmed one, Emil Bove, to a seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump on Friday announced he was nominating another, Sullivan & Cromwell partner Matthew Schwartz, to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"Having proven his loyalty to the president, Mr. Smith has been rewarded with a lifetime appointment to the federal bench," Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee, said.
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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/senate-democrats-question-loyalty-trump-personal-attorney-nominated-judgeship-2026-04-15/
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Chris Geidner
@chrisgeidner.bsky.social
This guy is nominated for a seat on the Eighth Circuit, which has only one Democratic appointee.
https://nominationnotes.substack.com/p/nominees-announced-for-eighth-circuit
Justin D. Smith
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Zack Ford
@zackford.bsky.social
· 4h
Justin Smith refuses to answer @hirono.senate.gov's questions about how he defines "woke," despite having written pieces openly attacking the "woke" agenda.
11:45 AM · Apr 15, 2026
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This guy is nominated for a seat on the Eighth Circuit, which has only one Democratic appointee. nominationnotes.substack.com/p/nominees-a...
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) 2026-04-15T15:45:46.816Z
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Zack Ford
@zackford.bsky.social
Justin Smith refuses to answer @hirono.senate.gov's questions about how he defines "woke," despite having written pieces openly attacking the "woke" agenda.
11:26 AM · Apr 15, 2026
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Justin Smith refuses to answer @hirono.senate.gov's questions about how he defines "woke," despite having written pieces openly attacking the "woke" agenda.
— Zack Ford (@zackford.bsky.social) 2026-04-15T15:26:49.823Z
= new reply since forum marked as read
