President Donald Trump has nominated U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky of Arkansas, who has issued rulings narrowing the scope of the Voting Rights Act and in favor of a state ban on classroom “indoctrination,” to a federal appeals court post.
Trump on Wednesday announced he was nominating Rudofsky, a judge in the Eastern District of Arkansas, to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 8th Circuit covers Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
“Lee will be a rock solid defender of the Constitution on the Eighth Circuit,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the nomination.
Rudofsky was nominated to the bench by Trump and won Senate confirmation in 2019. Previously, he served as state solicitor general under Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and was assistant general counsel for Walmart.
Rudofsky in 2022 tossed out a redistricting lawsuit, ruling that private individuals did not have the right to sue to enforce a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit upheld the decision, which was criticized by civil rights groups who said it weakened the 1965 law.
Earlier this month, Rudofsky dismissed part of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an Arkansas law banning “indoctrination” in public schools. Rudofsky’s ruling ordered additional arguments over whether the 2023 law was unconstitutionally vague.
As the solicitor general, Rudofsky represented the state in lawsuits over abortion restrictions and efforts to resume executions.
Conservatives praised Rudofsky’s nomination for the court.
Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill of Arkansas called the judge a “qualified and solid selection” for the appeals court in an X post.
If confirmed, Rudofsky would succeed Judge Bobby Shepherd, who was nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush. Shepherd, the father of state Rep. Matthew Shepherd and U.S. District Judge Thomas Shepherd, announced earlier this year he was retiring from active service on the appeals court.
Ten of the 11 active judges on the appeals court were nominated by Republican presidents.
Originally published on arkansasadvocate.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.