A Look at the Judicial Nominees a Democratic Senator Deems ‘Truly Unqualified’

President Trump’s first batch of judicial nominees just had their hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee. According to Senator Richard Blumenthal, “If I had to compile a list of truly unqualified nominees for the federal bench, I couldn’t do better.”

Who are these unqualified nominees?

• Whitney Hermandorfer — Princeton University, George Washington University Law School (first in class); Richard Leon (DDC), Brett Kavanaugh (CADC), Sam Alito, and Amy Barrett; associate, Williams & Connolly (2019–20, 21–23); assistant solicitor general, director of strategic litigation, Tennessee (2023–present).
• Josh Divine — University of Northern Colorado, Yale Law School (Law Journal); William Pryor (CA11), Clarence Thomas; chief counsel, Senator Josh Hawley (2019–22); solicitor general, Missouri (2022–present).
• Zachary Bluestone — Georgetown University, Oxford University, Harvard Law School; Raymond Gruender (CA8); deputy solicitor general of Missouri (2018–20); AUSA, appellate chief in the Eastern District of Missouri (2020–present).
• Maria Lanahan — Gonzaga University, University of Chicago (Law Review); Brian Zahra (Mich.), Raymond Gruender (CA8); associate, Thompson Coburn (2014–18); Charter Communications (2018–20); deputy solicitor general, principal deputy solicitor general, Missouri (2021–present).
• Christian Stevens — University of Missouri, University of Missouri Law School (Law Review, EIC); Pasco Bowman (CA8); associate, Bryan Cave (1999–2002); AUSA, Eastern District of Missouri (2002–17); partner, Armstrong Teasdale (2017–19); first assistant attorney general, Missouri (2019–21); Missouri Court of Appeals (2021–present).

Five nominees with ten clerkships (three SCOTUS, five Court of Appeals, one state supreme court, one district court), including four law-review editors, real diversity of experience, and careers that all demonstrate intelligible advancement to positions of greater responsibility and decision-making authority.

Let’s compare with Biden’s first wave of nominees.

• Ketanji Brown Jackson — Harvard, Harvard Law; Patti Saris (D., Mass.), Bruce Seyla (CA1), Stephen Breyer; associate, Miller Cassidy Larroca & Lewin (1998–99); associate, Goodwin Proctor (2000–2002); associate, Ken Feinberg (2002–2003); assistant special counsel, U.S. Sentencing Commission (2005–2007); assistant federal defender, D.D.C. (2005–2007); of counsel, Morrison & Foerster (2007–2010); commissioner, U.S. Sentencing Commission (2010–2013); judge, D.D.C (2013–21). Cousin of Paul Ryan.
• Candace Jackson-Akiwumi — Princeton, Yale Law; David Coar (N.D. Ill.), Roger Gregory (CA4); associate, Skadden Arps (2007–10); staff attorney, federal defender, N.D. Ill. (2010–20); partner, Zuckerman Spaeder (2020–21). Daughter of Raymond Alvin Jackson (E.D. Va.).
• Tiffany Cunningham — MIT, Harvard Law School; Timothy Dyk (CAFC); associate, partner, Kirkland & Ellis; partner, Perkins Coie (2014–21).
• Julien Xavier Neals — Morehouse College, Emory University; Seymour Margulies (N.J. Super.); associate, partner, Chasan, Leyner & Lamparello (1992–2006, 2014); chief judge, Newark Municipal Court (2006–2008); corporation counsel, Newark (2008–10); business administrator, Newark (2010–14); county counsel, Bergen County (2015–17). Former colleague of Senator Cory Booker.
• Regina Rodriguez — University of Iowa, University of Colorado Law School; associate, Cooper & Kelly (1988–95); AUSA (deputy chief and chief, civil division), D. Colo. (1995–2002); special counsel, partner, Faegre & Benson (2002–2016); partner, Hogan Lovells (2016–19); partner WilmerHale (2019–21).
• Zahid Quraishi — John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Rutgers Law School; Edwin Stern (N.J. Super.); associate, LaBoeuf, Lamb, Green & MacRae; JAG, U.S. Army (2003–07); assistant chief counsel, ICE (2007–08); AUSA, D.N.J. (2008–13); counsel, partner, Riker Danzig (2013–19); magistrate judge, D.N.J. (2019–21).
• Lydia Grigsby — University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University Law Center; associate, DLA Piper (1993–95); trial attorney, Commercial Litigation Branch, DOJ (1995–98); AUSA, D.D.C. (1998–2004); counsel, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics (2004–05); counsel, chief counsel, Sen. Patrick Leahy (2004–14); judge, Court of Federal Claims (2014–21).
• Deborah Boardman — Villanova, University of Virginia Law School (Law Review); James Cacheris (E.D. Va.); associate, Hogan Lovells (2001–08); assistant, first assistant, Federal Defender, D. Md. (2008–19); magistrate judge, D. Md. (2019–21).
• Margaret Strickland — University of Texas (El Paso), NYU Law School; public defender, New Mexico (2006–11); partner, McGraw & Strickland (2011–21).

Nine nominees with nine clerkships (one SCOTUS, three Court of Appeals, three district court, two N.J. superior), including only two law-review editors. Almost half were public defenders and almost all of their careers seem to involve lateral movement, staying in place, and a lack of significant decision-making authority.

If you took one of each pool, and handed his or her résumé — stripped of ideological or non-employment personal data — to a hiring partner at any decent law firm, it’s not even a close call who’d get hired.

We should trust Senator Blumenthal on the qualifications of judges as much as we trust him on the qualifications of Vietnam infantry officers.