On Tuesday, I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing about the current conflicts between the district courts and the President. You can watch the video here. The hearing was co-chaired by Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri. On Wednesday, I met with Senator Schmitt to talk about judicial nominations in President Trump's second term. In particular, we focused on the four picks for the Eastern District of Missouri, who were President Trump's first district court nominees: Cristian Stevens, Maria Lanahan, Zachary Bluestone, and Joshua Divine. All four of these nominees had worked with Senator Schmitt when he was Missouri Attorney General. We also chatted about judicial courage, the role of the Federalist Society, and what lies ahead for the Eighth Circuit.
I've lightly edited the transcript for length and clarity.
JB: Let's start with talking about the first four judges from the Eastern District of Missouri (EDMO). How did you get to be first? I'm from Texas and we still don't have any Texas nominees. Florida just came out a few weeks ago. Missouri was first, right out of the gate.
