The U.S. Senate has approved President Donald Trump’s first and only nominee to the Boston-based federal appeals court. Until recently, most of the justices on this court were chosen by Democrats and often rejected his policy proposals.
The Republican-led Senate voted 52-46 along party lines to make Joshua Dunlap, a conservative lawyer from Maine who often worked on conservative legal cases, a life-tenured judge on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
As of Thursday, that court was the only one of the 13 appeals courts without any active judges appointed by Republican presidents. That has helped make district courts in New England a popular place for Democratic state attorneys general and advocacy groups to file cases against Trump’s agenda.
In his first term, Trump didn’t name any judges to the 1st Circuit. At the start of his second term, he almost lost the chance to choose one when his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, put forth a nomination to fill a seat that U.S. Circuit Judge William Kayatta had held.
But Biden couldn’t get Julia Lipez confirmed as his candidate before he departed office. Kayatta, who Democratic President Barack Obama appointed, formally became a senior in October 2024, just days before the presidential election that delivered Trump back to the White House.
In July, Trump chose Dunlap, a partner at the legal firm Pierce Atwood, to fill the open position. He said that if the Senate confirmed him, he would “fearlessly defend our Constitution.”
Dunlap got his bachelor’s degree from Pensacola Christian College and then went to Notre Dame Law School, where he graduated in 2008. During law school, he worked as an intern with what is now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal rights nonprofit.
As a lawyer, he has worked on cases that have challenged Maine’s paid family and medical leave program, the state’s campaign finance rules, and the use of ranked-choice voting to run the state’s elections.
This is the second judge approved this week.
The U.S. Senate also confirmed a former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and the late Antonin Scalia to be a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 52 to 45 in favor of Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day. This made him the first judge President Donald Trump selected for the San Francisco-based appeals court during his second administration.
His confirmation brings the total number of judges Trump appointed to the 9th Circuit from 2017 to 2020 during his first term to 10. This weakens the power of Democratic appointees, who have long held sway on a court that was previously thought to be the most liberal of all the federal appellate courts.
There are currently 16 Democratic appointees and 13 Republican appointees on the 9th Circuit, including Tung. In July, Trump nominated Tung to fill the seat that U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta had held. She stated in March that she would step down when a successor was named.
When Trump announced Tung’s nomination, he called him a “Tough Patriot” on social media and said he would preserve the Rule of Law in the “most RADICAL, Leftist States” like California, Oregon, and Washington. These are three of the nine states that the 9th Circuit has jurisdiction over.
Tung is a partner at the law firm Jones Day in Los Angeles. Before that, he was a federal prosecutor and worked for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tung worked as a clerk for Gorsuch twice: once when he was on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and again after Trump confirmed him to the Supreme Court in 2017. He had also worked for Scalia, who passed away in 2016.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voiced support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants accused of child sex offenses, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) called for those individuals to face the death penalty.
In a Monday press release, ICE noted that it “arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor.”
At the elegant setting of a countryside estate, the wedding of Emma and Jack had gone off without a hitch, or so it seemed. The sun cast a golden hue over the perfectly trimmed gardens, where guests mingled, sipping champagne and exchanging stories. The sweet sound of a string quartet filled the air as everyone made their way to the grand tent for the reception. Everything appeared to be just as Emma had dreamed — a fairytale come true.
As the newlyweds were announced and made their grand entrance into the reception, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause. Jack, in his sharp tailored suit, held Emma close, her ivory gown flowing behind her in a cascade of silk and lace. Laughter and love filled the room as they took to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.
Emma felt a wave of happiness wash over her. She had never felt more beautiful or more loved. As they swayed to the romantic melody, she whispered sweet nothings into Jack’s ear, who beamed with joy. But then, just as the music began to swell, Emma felt an odd sensation — a slight movement beneath the layers of her dress.
Startled, she paused, her eyes wide with confusion. Jack noticed immediately and gave her a questioning look. Then, the movement became more pronounced. Emma’s heart skipped a beat as she realized something was moving under her gown.
The guests, sensing the change in atmosphere, turned their attention to the couple. Conversations hushed, and an air of anticipation settled over the room. Emma, maintaining a brave face, tried to subtly adjust her dress, but the movement only intensified.
Jack’s expression turned from one of joy to paleness as he stepped back slightly. His mind raced with possibilities, but he couldn’t quite grasp what could be happening. The guests gasped collectively as a distinct shape began to emerge from beneath the fabric.
Emma gathered her courage and lifted the front of her dress slightly, revealing a small, fluffy white kitten blinking up at the world with innocent eyes. A murmur of delighted surprise spread quickly through the crowd.
“Oh my gosh!” Emma exclaimed, her initial shock giving way to laughter. “Where did you come from?”
The kitten, undeterred by the sudden attention, let out a tiny meow and began to playfully bat at the hem of Emma’s gown. The crowd erupted into laughter and applause, relieved and charmed by the unexpected guest.
Jack, regaining his composure, knelt down to scoop up the tiny creature. “Looks like we have an uninvited guest,” he chuckled, holding the kitten up for everyone to see. “A little ball of fur with impeccable taste crashing our wedding!”
Emma, now thoroughly amused, gently took the kitten from Jack and cradled it against her chest. “I guess we have a new family member,” she said, her voice full of warmth.
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and joy as the kitten became the unofficial mascot of the wedding, charming everyone with its antics. Emma and Jack later discovered that the kitten belonged to the estate’s caretaker, who had let it roam freely. Somehow, it had found its way into the venue and made itself the center of attention.