Whitney Hermandorfer was confirmed to a lifetime seat on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio, succeeding one of former President Barack Obama’s two nominees to that bench. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) praised Hermandorfer’s judicial temperament and commended his colleagues for continuing Trump’s judicial confirmations even after the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” earlier this month.

“Our job now is to continue the good work that we began during the first Trump administration by filling those vacancies with more judges who understand the proper role of a judge,” Thune said from the Senate floor. “And that starts with confirming Ms. Hermandorfer.”

Hermandorfer, 38, is the first federal appeals court nominee of Trump’s second term. She previously clerked for Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett, as well as Judge Brett Kavanaugh when he served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

With roughly 50 federal judicial vacancies remaining—less than half the number filled during Trump’s first term—Thune pledged to work with President Trump and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to fast-track confirmation hearings. So far, Grassley’s committee has advanced five nominees. While at Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office, Hermandorfer helped secure a recent Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on transgender athletes competing based on their biological sex.