# The President Nominates Circuit Judges, Not Senators

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-president-nominates-circuit-judges-not-senators/
- Published: 2026-11-11T18:12:34+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T20:10:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/11/the-president-nominates-circuit-judges-not-senators/
- Topics: Government, Politics

## Key points

- Trump withdrew a circuit court nominee after a senator objected.
- The author says senators are gaining too much influence over judicial picks.
- A dispute over an Oklahoma district court nominee adds to the concern.

## Summary

The article argues that President Trump has ceded too much influence over federal judicial nominations to individual senators, allowing personal and state-level disputes to shape who is nominated. It says circuit court seats serve the whole circuit, not the state where a vacancy arises, and that senators’ power to block nominees weakens the President’s role.

The author describes Trump withdrawing Lee Rudofsky for the Eighth Circuit after Senator John Boozman objected, then nominating Boozman’s preferred candidate, Cody Hiland. For the Fifth Circuit, the author criticises the nomination of Todd Butler, alleging Senator Roger Wicker had decisive influence despite concerns about Butler’s answers at his confirmation hearing. The article also cites Senator Alan Armstrong’s attempt to withdraw a returned blue slip on an Oklahoma district court nomination, presenting these episodes as evidence of senators overriding presidential choices.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.