Rewire News Group: These Two ‘Culture Warriors’ Are Trump’s New Federal Judges
This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on July 23, 2025.
I’m betting Hermandorfer’s experience litigating precisely this kind of contentious personal identity and autonomy issues likely landed her a spot among Trump’s first judicial picks.
“Whitney Hermandorfer’s lack of experience, extreme agenda, history of advocacy for the wealthy and powerful, and loyalty to Trump makes her an ominous bellwether of what’s to come for our courts,” Alliance for Justice President Rachel Rossi said in a July 14 statement following Hermandorfer’s confirmation. “Executive actions and policies can be undone eventually, but judges serve for life.”
In Hermandorfer’s June 4, 2025 confirmation hearing—which Madiba K. Dennie wrapped up over at Balls and Strikes—she demonstrated an apparent willingness to bend the Constitution to meet Trump’s wishes. Much like her former boss Justice Barrett, Hermandorfer is a footsoldier of the conservative legal movement. She clerked exclusively for conservative anti-choice judges and justices, and has advanced some of the most conservative legal positions across the country at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.