Senate Confirms Trump’s Personal Lawyer to Lifetime Judgeship

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 15, 2026 – Today the Senate voted to confirm Justin Smith, Trump’s personal lawyer and a MAGA extremist, to serve as a lifetime judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Smith represented Trump in the presidential immunity Supreme Court case and in the E. Jean Caroll sexual abuse case — including during the time since Smith was nominated to the bench. Despite these clear conflicts of interest, Smith refused during his hearing to confirm he would recuse himself in cases related to the president.

In addition to his personal allegiance to Trump’s agenda, Smith brings a disturbing record of anti-abortion, anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-environmental litigation and advocacy. AFJ led over 40 organizations in opposing his nomination based on this record. He will in no way be impartial or fair on the bench, and he will use his position to cause harm to civil rights and the rule of law long after Trump is no longer in office.

Alliance for Justice President Rachel Rossi issued the following statement:

“Senate Republicans have once again set back the cause of justice by installing another Trump sycophant on the federal courts. In no world can Justin Smith be trusted to faithfully and impartially interpret the law, particularly given he has spent years arguing that Trump is unaccountable to our laws. Moreover, Smith is not the first nor the last of Trump’s personal attorneys who he is trying to reward with a lifetime appointment. The Senate Republicans’ unflinching loyalty to Trump — even by those he’s betrayed — must not go unnoticed. Our courts belong to the people, not partisan operatives who are eager to dismantle our civil rights. We will pay the price for such confirmations for years to come.”