When the Senate returns next week, Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal judiciary with ideological loyalists and far-right operatives will immediately come back into focus.
Two of Trump’s nominees, Kara Westercamp and Kathleen Lane, are now eligible for Senate confirmation votes. Another nominee, Justin Smith, is set to receive a committee vote that could move him one step closer to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench.
The records of these nominees should alarm everyone who believes judges are supposed to uphold rights, apply the law fairly, and operate independently of partisan political agendas.
Kathleen Lane, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, has built much of her legal career around advancing efforts that would make voting more difficult, undermine reproductive freedom, and target LGBTQ+ rights. She defended a redistricting map that a federal court concluded violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting power, argued in support of penalties tied to outdated anti-sodomy laws, and pushed legal arguments seeking to overturn Montana’s constitutional protections for abortion rights.
She also lacks the professional experience needed for a lifetime position as a federal judge. In fact, the American Bar Association found that she simply isn’t qualified for the job.
If someone with this record receives a lifetime appointment, the damage could continue for decades.
Kara Westercamp, nominated to the U.S. Court of International Trade, currently serves in the White House Counsel’s Office helping implement Trump’s tariff agenda, work that could later come before the very court she has been nominated to join.
Westercamp has also drawn scrutiny for a long record of partisan and inflammatory social media activity, including posts downplaying the January 6 attack on the Capitol, questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and amplifying racist and transphobic rhetoric and conspiracy theories.
And now Justin Smith’s nomination is advancing as well, despite his repeated refusal during his confirmation hearing to plainly acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Trump and Senate Republicans are trying to lock these nominees into lifetime seats while public attention is elsewhere. That is exactly why pressure right now matters.
Tell your senators to reject these dangerous nominees before it’s too late
The federal courts shape voting rights, civil rights, reproductive freedom, executive power, and countless other aspects of daily life. If these nominees are confirmed, the consequences will last long after the next election cycle.
We cannot afford to stay silent while these nominations move forward.
