Donald Trump is once again turning to a familiar face from his legal battles—this time for a lifetime seat on the federal bench.
The president has nominated Justin Smith, an attorney who stood alongside him in a high-stakes presidential immunity fight before the Supreme Court of the United States, to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The St. Louis-based court hears cases from several Midwestern states, including Missouri.
Smith was also part of Trump’s defense team in the civil case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, where a jury concluded the former president was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. His nomination signals Trump’s continued confidence in attorneys who defended him during some of the most politically charged courtroom showdowns in modern history.
On social media, Trump hailed Smith as a key figure in what he described as a landmark Supreme Court victory on presidential immunity—a ruling that shielded him from prosecution over actions deemed within the constitutional powers of the presidency. The decision reshaped the legal terrain surrounding executive authority and remains one of the defining judicial moments of his post-White House years.
Smith’s résumé stretches beyond Trump’s personal cases. In Missouri, he has served as deputy counsel to the governor and as deputy attorney general handling special litigation, building a profile rooted in state-level legal battles before stepping into the national spotlight.
The nominations did not stop there. Trump also tapped Kansas Solicitor General Anthony Powell, Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi, and attorney Jeffrey Kuhlman for judgeships on the federal trial court in Kansas. The president framed the picks as defenders of constitutional principles and judicial restraint.
Since reclaiming the White House, Trump has moved swiftly to shape the federal judiciary, putting forward more than 40 nominees for district and appellate courts—a reminder that while presidencies can be turbulent, judicial appointments endure.
