The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s first nominee to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, marking a shift in a court long dominated by Democratic appointees. The Senate voted 52–46 along party lines to approve Joshua Dunlap, a conservative lawyer from Maine, to the lifetime position. His confirmation gives Trump his first opportunity to influence this appellate court, which oversees federal cases in New England.
Until this appointment, the 1st Circuit had been the only one of the 13 federal appeals courts without a judge selected by a Republican president. This made it a preferred venue for challenges to Trump’s policies during his earlier term. Dunlap’s confirmation alters that balance, signaling the administration’s broader goal of reshaping the federal judiciary.