Today President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate a fifteenth wave of judicial nominees, fourteenth wave of United States Attorney nominees, and ninth wave of United States Marshal nominees as follows:
If confirmed, Jonathan A. Kobes of South Dakota will serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Jonathan Kobes has served in all three branches of the Federal Government, and currently serves as General Counsel to U.S. Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota. Before joining the Senator’s staff in 2014, Mr. Kobes served as Director of Corporate Compliance at Raven Industries, Inc., as Senior Regulatory Counsel for DuPont Pioneer, and as Senior Counsel to POET, LLC. In these capacities, he managed a range of litigation, regulatory, and administrative law matters. Prior to going in-house, Mr. Kobes was a litigation associate in the Sioux Falls office of Murphy, Goldammer & Prendergast, LLP, and served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota, where he prosecuted narcotics offenses and violent crime on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He also served as an Honors Attorney in the Litigation Division of the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Kobes served as a law clerk to Judge Roger L. Wollman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Mr. Kobes earned his B.A. from Dordt College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor and as the business manager of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
If confirmed, Eric E. Murphy of Ohio will serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Eric Murphy currently serves as the State Solicitor of Ohio in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, a position that he has held since 2013. In that role, Mr. Murphy has briefed and argued numerous cases in the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ohio Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on behalf of the State of Ohio. Previously, he practiced in the Columbus, Ohio, office of Jones Day as part of the Issues and Appeals Group. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Murphy served as a law clerk to Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, III, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He later served as a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Murphy earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Miami University of Ohio, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the University of Chicago Law Review.
If confirmed, Chad A. Readler of Ohio will serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Chad Readler currently serves as the Principal Deputy and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, a position that he has held since 2017. In that role, Mr. Readler has lead and supervised the Department’s largest litigating division and has actively briefed and argued several cases on behalf of the United States in federal courts across the country. Previously, he practiced in the Columbus, Ohio office of Jones Day, including for 10 years as a partner in the Issues and Appeals Group. During that period, Mr. Readler successfully argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in McQuiggin v. Perkins on behalf of a pro bono client claiming actual innocence. His other pro bono representations have included representing capital defendants before the Tenth Circuit and the Ohio Supreme Court, representing defendants sentenced to life in prison before the Sixth Circuit, and challenging dismissals of claims filed by pro se litigants. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Readler served as a law clerk to Columbus-based Judge Alan E. Norris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Readler earned his B.A. and J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan, where he served on the editorial board of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform.
If confirmed, Rossie D. Alston, Jr., of Virginia will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Rossie Alston, Jr., currently serves as a Judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia, where he has served since 2009. He also serves as a distinguished adjunct professor of law at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University and is an award-winning adjunct professor of criminology at George Mason University. Prior to his service on the Court of Appeals, Judge Alston served for eight years as a Judge on the Circuit Court for the Thirty-first Judicial Circuit of Virginia where he handled the full range of cases including criminal, civil, and the death penalty matters. Prior to his elevation to the Circuit Court, Judge Alston served for approximately three years as a Judge of the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court of Prince William County, Virginia. Before his elevation to the bench, Judge Alston spent nine years in private practice while serving as a Commissioner in Chancery and Substitute Judge. Before entering private practice, Judge Alston practiced for five years with the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Alston served for two years as a staff attorney with the National Labor Relations Board. Judge Alston earned his B.A., cum laude, from Averett University and his J.D., cum laude, from the North Carolina Central University School of Law where he was a member of the law review and served as note and comment editor of the North Carolina Central Law Journal.
If confirmed, M. Miller Baker of Louisiana will serve as a Judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Miller Baker serves as a litigation partner and co-chair of the appellate practice group in the Washington, D.C., office of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, where he has practiced for the last seventeen years. As an appellate attorney, Mr. Baker has argued appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court and nine of the thirteen Federal courts of appeals. As a trial attorney, Mr. Baker has appeared in State and Federal trial courts in seventeen states and the District of Columbia. Earlier in his career, Mr. Baker served as counsel to Senator Orrin Hatch on the Senate Judiciary Committee and at the Department of Justice as a special assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and as an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Policy. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Baker served as a law clerk to Judge Thomas G. Gee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge John M. Duhé, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. A native of Louisiana, Mr. Baker attended Louisiana State University and earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School. From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Baker served as a Naval Reserve intelligence officer in the Selected Reserve and earned an Honorable Discharge.
If confirmed, Stephanie A. Gallagher of Maryland will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Judge Stephanie Gallagher serves as a United States Magistrate Judge on the District of Maryland. Prior to her appointment to the bench in 2011, Judge Gallagher was a partner and co-founder of Levin & Gallagher, LLC, where she practiced white-collar defense and civil and employment litigation. Before founding Levin & Gallagher, Judge Gallagher served for six years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, where she prosecuted a wide range of violent and white-collar criminal cases. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Gallagher practiced for two years as a litigation associate in the Washington office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Gallagher served as a law clerk to Judge J. Frederick Motz of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Judge Gallagher earned her B.S., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
If confirmed, Karin J. Immergut of Oregon will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Karin Immergut serves as a Circuit Court Judge for Multnomah County, where she has presided over more than 250 trials covering the full range of criminal and civil matters. Before ascending to the bench, Judge Immergut was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve for six years as the Senate-confirmed United States Attorney for the District Oregon. Prior to her confirmation, Judge Immergut served for two years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, where she was assigned to the Fraud Unit and spearheaded a gun violence reduction initiative. From 1996-2001, Judge Immergut served as a Deputy District Attorney for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted financial fraud, elder fraud, and identity theft. During the summer of 1998, Judge Immergut served as an Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of the Independent Counsel. Earlier in her career, Judge Immergut served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, where she was Chief of the Training Section and Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Judge Immergut began her legal career as a litigation associate at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. She earned her B.A. from Amherst College and her J.D. from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
If confirmed, Carl J. Nichols of Washington, D.C., will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Carl Nichols is currently a Partner and Vice Chair of the Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group at the Washington, D.C., office of WilmerHale, where he also serves on the firm’s management committee. Before entering private practice, Mr. Nichols served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, and later as the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General. In recognition of his government service, he was awarded numerous awards, including the Attorney General’s Medallion. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Nichols was a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Nichols served as a law clerk to Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and then as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Nichols earned his B.A., cum laude and with high honors in his major, from Dartmouth College, and his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the University of Chicago Law Review.
If confirmed, Martha M. Pacold of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Martha Pacold serves as Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to this appointment, she served as Executive Secretary at the agency. Before that, Ms. Pacold was an associate and then a partner in the Chicago office of Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, LLP. She also was a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pacold served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and as Counsel to the Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Pacold served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States, to Judge Jay S. Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and to Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Pacold earned her B.A., with highest distinction, from Indiana University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and her J.D., with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Chicago Law Review.
If confirmed, Timothy M. Reif of New York will serve as a Judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Tim Reif serves as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative and as a Visiting Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. From 2009-2017, Mr. Reif served as General Counsel of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Prior to joining the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, Mr. Reif spent a decade as Chief International Trade Counsel on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means. He previously served as Special International Trade Counsel at Dewey Ballantine, LLP, as Associate General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and as an Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Reif earned his A.B. and M.P.A. from Princeton University, where he was named a Fulbright Scholar, and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
If confirmed, Mary M. Rowland of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mary Rowland has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2012. Prior to her selection as a Federal magistrate judge, Judge Rowland spent twelve years as a partner in the Chicago firm of Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Before entering private practice, Judge Rowland served for ten years in the Chicago office of the Federal Defender; first as a staff attorney and later as the office’s chief appellate attorney. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Rowland served as a law clerk to Judge Julian Abele Cook, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Rowland earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Judge Rowland is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Bar Association.
If confirmed, Steven C. Seeger of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Steve Seeger serves as Senior Trial Counsel in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he has litigated cases to enforce the Federal securities laws on behalf of the public since 2010. Before joining the SEC, Mr. Seeger practiced for twelve years in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, where he spent his last seven years as a partner. Before joining Kirkland, Mr. Seeger served as a law clerk to Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Seeger earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Wheaton College and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as both an associate and articles editor of the University of Michigan Law Review.
If confirmed, Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan will serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan is currently a Circuit Court Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida and an adjunct professor at Florida International University College of Law. She was appointed to the bench in 2012 by Governor Rick Scott. Prior to her appointment, Judge Fajardo Orshan was a partner in a boutique law firm where she specialized in litigation. She began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, where she prosecuted a wide variety of crimes specializing in narcotics and organized crime. Judge Fajardo Orshan earned her B.S. from Florida International University and her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center. Judge Fajardo Orshan is married to Robert D. Orshan and is the proud mother of a teenage son, Lucas.
If confirmed, Michael D. Baughman of Pennsylvania will serve as the United States Marshal for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Michael Baughman is currently the Acting United States Marshal for the Western District of Pennsylvania, a position he has held since January 3, 2018. He joined the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in 1990 originally serving in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia before transferring to the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1995. Mr. Baughman held the position of Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal from 2011 to 2018 and Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal from 2004 to 2011. Mr. Baughman has also served on various USMS Headquarters committees and boards throughout his career. Prior to joining the USMS, Mr. Baughman served with the National Security Agency from 1987 to 1990. He earned a B.A. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
If confirmed, Michael S. Yeager of Georgia will serve as the United States Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia. Michael Yeager is currently the Sheriff of Coweta County, Georgia, a position he has held for over 25 years. He began his law enforcement career as an Officer with the Newnan Police Department in 1980. From 1982 to 1987, he served in the Probation Division of the Georgia Department of Corrections. He joined the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office in 1987, serving as the Captain for Criminal Investigations until his election to Sheriff in 1992. Mr. Yeager served as President of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association from 2002-2003, Chairman of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council from 2006-2018, and President of the Constitutional Officers’ Association of Georgia from 2016-2017.
