In a chamber accustomed to partisan weather, the U.S. Senate pushed through two new federal trial judges for North Carolina—choices that came wrapped in both predictable applause and pointed criticism.
By a 53–45 vote, senators approved David Bragdon for a lifetime seat on the bench in the Middle District of North Carolina. Moments later, Lindsey Ann Freeman cleared her own hurdle with a wider 60–39 margin. Both have backgrounds as federal prosecutors; Bragdon served as appellate chief in the Eastern District, while Freeman held the second-in-command role in the Middle District.
Their confirmations add to the growing tally of judicial picks made during Donald Trump’s second term, extending the conservative reshaping of the federal judiciary that began with his first wave of appointments.
Bragdon, however, arrived with a particular lightning rod attached: his past work as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. That connection—paired with the resurfacing of an old Geocities page he created as a college student more than two decades ago—gave critics ample material.
The long-dormant site showcased youthful, unfiltered political takes, including hardline positions on abortion, capital punishment, and the welfare system. Progressive groups seized on those archived posts, warning that elevating Bragdon could tilt the legal landscape in ways they argued were out of step with modern jurisprudence. Senators pressed him on whether he still stood by those early writings.
Bragdon conceded in written responses that time had reshaped many of his views, saying there were “few things” he would express today the way he did back then.
Freeman’s path, by contrast, drew far less fire—her confirmation gliding through without the ideological turbulence surrounding her colleague.
With these votes, the Senate continues to stamp Trump’s imprint on the federal judiciary, one lifetime seat at a time.
