Trump nominates 3 more federal judges as Senate mulls lame duck plans

With Republicans set to lose the majority in the upper chamber, the path to confirming federal judgeships will narrow considerably.

Published: November 10, 2026 12:40pm

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced nominations for three federal judge posts as the Senate was meeting to discuss its plans for the lame-duck session.

With Republicans set to lose the majority in the upper chamber, the path to confirming federal judgeships will narrow considerably. Accordingly, many Republicans hope to ram through as many judicial confirmations as possible before then.

Trump's nominations came in separate Truth Social posts and included Grayson Lambert for the District of South Carolina, Elliot Gaiser for the Northern District of Texas, and James Sullivan for the Western District of Texas.

All three posts cover areas in traditionally Republican states that broke for the Democrats this cycle. The Senate practice of "blue slips" has allowed a senator from a state facing the appointment to unilaterally block a nomination.

Senate Republicans have resisted Trump's urges to reform the practice, meaning confirming posts in the Palmetto and Lone Star States will require the support of a Democratic senator for the next six years.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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