Trump Nominates Two Judges to 1st, 9th Circuit Appeals Courts

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated two conservative judges, Joshua Dunlap and Eric Tung, to federal appeals courts in a strategic effort to strengthen conservative influence in the judiciary during his second term. Dunlap, a Maine-based commercial litigator, has been nominated to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, filling a vacancy previously targeted by President Biden's nominee but left unfilled. The 1st Circuit is notable for having no active Republican-appointed judges and has frequently ruled against Trump-era policies, making this appointment significant. Eric Tung, a former federal prosecutor and clerk to Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch and Scalia, has been nominated to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California and other West Coast states described by Trump as "radical, leftist." These nominations bring Trump's second-term judicial picks to 14, including four appellate court nominees, continuing his first term's reshaping of the federal judiciary with a conservative tilt. Trump praised both nominees on his social media platform Truth Social, emphasizing their toughness and commitment to defending the Constitution and rule of law.