US President Donald Trump has nominated two Justice Department officials for lifetime federal judgeships, intensifying the administration’s push to reshape the American judiciary before the November midterm elections.
The latest nominations include Eric Hamilton, a senior Justice Department official who has played a prominent role in defending the administration’s policies in court, and Joseph Falvey, a federal prosecutor with experience working alongside Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
The timing is significant. Senate Republicans are preparing an accelerated confirmation drive in the weeks following the November 3 elections, seeking to secure as many of Trump’s judicial appointments as possible before the current Congress concludes.
Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to win control of the Senate. A change in the chamber’s leadership could make it considerably more difficult for the White House to advance its nominees once the new Congress begins in January.
Hamilton’s role in defending Trump’s agenda
Hamilton, who currently serves as deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Civil Division, has been nominated for a lifetime appointment to the federal district court in Nebraska. He previously served as Nebraska’s solicitor general.
Trump praised Hamilton’s work in the Justice Department, highlighting his involvement in defending the administration’s key policy decisions against legal challenges.
Those disputes have covered several contentious areas of the president’s agenda, including sweeping tariffs on imports, efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, the deployment of National Guard troops to cities such as Los Angeles and attempts to dismantle the US Department of Education.
Hamilton’s nomination places an official closely involved in defending the administration’s policies on a path towards a potentially long-term role in the federal judiciary.
Former Roberts clerk nominated in Indiana
Trump has also selected Falvey for a judgeship on the US District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Falvey currently works as a federal prosecutor and previously served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Roberts, giving him experience within the federal judicial system at both the trial-court and Supreme Court levels.
Both nominations are expected to face consideration as Senate Republicans intensify their efforts to move judicial appointments through the confirmation process before the political balance in Washington potentially shifts.
Senate control could determine the pace of confirmations
The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled hearings for November 10 and November 18 as part of the broader push to advance Trump’s nominees. The second hearing could provide an opportunity to consider the latest selections, although their confirmation would still require action by the full Senate.
The midterm elections could prove decisive for the administration’s judicial ambitions. If Democrats capture the Senate, they would assume control of the chamber’s leadership in January, potentially slowing or blocking the progress of future nominees.
Trump has already left a substantial imprint on the federal courts. During his first term, his administration secured confirmation of 234 judicial nominees. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, the Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed 56 more judges, including 10 to influential federal appeals courts.
His appointments have contributed to a broader conservative shift across the judiciary, including the establishment of a 6-3 conservative majority on the US Supreme Court.
With the midterms approaching, the latest nominations underscore the administration’s effort to use the remaining months of Republican Senate control to secure additional judicial appointments before the political landscape changes.
