By Jan Wolfe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senators on Wednesday will consider whether to confirm a judge nominated by President Donald Trump for an influential federal appeals court in Washington.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Justin Walker, 37, who would sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit if approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Walker, who has served as a federal district court judge in Kentucky since October, is a protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Walker was also vocal ally of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation battle.
After Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, Walker frequently appeared on cable TV, including Fox News, talking up the nominee’s conservative credentials.
Walker would replace Thomas Griffith, appointed by former President George W. Bush, who has announced his plans to retire. Walker’s appointment would not change the ideological balance of the D.C. Circuit, which currently has a 7-4 majority of Democratic appointees.
Although based in Kentucky, where he has taught at the University of Louisville’s law school, Walker has Washington ties. He clerked for Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit, where Kavanaugh served for 12 years. He also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who Kavanaugh replaced in 2018.
The D.C. Circuit is considered the second most powerful court in the United States, in part because it handles many high-stakes challenges to federal regulations. Four of the current nine justices on the Supreme Court were previously D.C. Circuit judges.
The Senate convened in Washington for the first time in nearly six weeks on Monday, despite concern it might put lawmakers and staff at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
With Washington still under a stay-at-home order, lawmakers were advised by the congressional physician to wear masks, stay six feet (2 meters) apart and limit the number of staff on Capitol Hill.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
