Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Among Newly Confirmed Trump Judges

President Donald Trump’s ongoing effort to restore constitutional balance to the federal judiciary notched another victory this week, as the Senate confirmed Louisiana Supreme Court Justice William Crain to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Crain, nominated by the president in October, secured confirmation in a narrow 49–46 vote on Dec. 9. Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy—both Louisiana Republicans—supported his elevation. Three senators did not vote.

Crain’s confirmation further extends the president’s imprint on the federal bench, while another Louisiana nominee, former U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook, awaits final Senate consideration for a judgeship in the state’s Western District, a region spanning Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette, and Monroe.

Van Hook, a Centenary College and LSU Law graduate whose legal career has been rooted in Shreveport, earned strong praise from President Trump following his October nomination.
“I have total confidence that Alexander will continue to serve his state and our country with great distinction in this new role,” Trump said at the time.

Both Crain and Van Hook advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in November, a panel on which Kennedy serves. The Louisiana senator reaffirmed his support, stating, “Former acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook and Louisiana Supreme Court Justice William Crain are both intelligent and experienced lawyers, and I have every confidence that President Trump made the right choice in nominating them to be district judges in Louisiana.”

Crain, 64, earned his law degree from LSU and was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2019. Prior to that, he served on the First Circuit Court of Appeal and previously as a district court judge—marking more than four decades of commitment to Louisiana’s legal community.

His confirmation comes as Senate Republicans accelerate efforts to advance a broad slate of judicial and executive nominees put forward by President Trump during his second term. On Wednesday, GOP lawmakers cleared the initial procedural hurdle to move nearly 100 nominees toward final approval. The action paves the way for a decisive vote next week on 97 of the president’s selections. Fox News reported that this is the third time Republicans have propelled a major confirmation package forward since revising Senate rules in September.

Should Republicans complete the process as expected, President Trump will surpass 400 confirmed nominees in the first year of his second term, significantly outpacing former President Joe Biden, who stood at 350 confirmations at the same point in his presidency.

The sweeping list of nominees includes former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito for inspector general at the Department of Labor, along with two National Labor Relations Board nominees—James Murphy and Scott Mayer. Their inclusion follows the president’s decision to remove former NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, a termination upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Last week, Senate Democrats attempted to stall the process again, with Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado objecting to the earlier procedural move. But Republicans, intent on dismantling the months-long blockade of Trump nominees, advanced a new and expanded package under the chamber’s updated rules. These reforms allow sub-Cabinet appointees to proceed with a simple majority vote, bypassing Democrats’ efforts to raise the threshold.

One original nominee—Sara Carter, nominated by the president to serve as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy—was classified as a “Level 1” Cabinet-tier nominee, which would have triggered a 60-vote requirement for the entire package of 88 nominees. Given Democrats’ coordinated opposition, Republicans removed Carter from the bundle and assembled a broader slate of 97 nominees eligible for confirmation under majority-vote rules.

The move reflects a determined Republican strategy: break through obstruction, fill critical vacancies, and ensure that President Trump’s second-term agenda is carried out by a competent, constitutionalist workforce across nearly every federal agency.