Tennessee native Whitney Hermandorfer has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals β his first judicial nomination in his second presidential term. Hermandorferβs profile, presented by Senator Marsha Blackburn, meets all the necessary qualifications for a federal judge: high education, judicial clerkships at the highest level, and a strong conservative legal background.
Whitney Hermandorfer’s Educational and Professional Background
Raised in Nashville, Whitney Hermandorfer graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where she also served as co-captain of the women’s varsity basketball team. She received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, graduating first in her class, and served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review.
He has clerked for four federal judges, including three current U.S. Supreme Court Justices β Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and then-D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Very few nominees can match the distinguished legal experience Whitney Hermandorfer brings to the bench.
Whitney Hermandorfer’s Career and Public Service
Following her service as clerk, Whitney Hermandorfer practiced appellate litigation and regulatory law at Williams & Connolly LLP. She returned to the firm after clerking and remains there until 2023. That year, she also assumed the role of adjunct professor at GWU Law.
Currently, she serves as the Director of the Strategic Litigation Unit at the Tennessee Attorney Generalβs Office, where she leads a team defending state policies in high-stakes legal battles.
Why Whitney Hermandorfer’s nomination is important
President Trump has repeatedly pushed for the appointment of judges who would “interpret” the Constitution as written. Whitney Hermandorfer fits this mold perfectly. Her nomination sends a clear message: Trump is committed to building a judiciary based on originalism and legal discipline, not on judicial activism.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, who introduced her, praised Hermandorfer as βextremely qualifiedβ and said she would βenforce the law as it is written, not rewrite it.β
Whitney Hermandorfer’s Future Impact
If her appointment is confirmed, Whitney Hermandorfer will play a key role in shaping federal appellate decisions on a variety of issues, ranging from state policy to constitutional law. His deep legal credentials and conservative judicial philosophy align closely with Trumpβs broad vision for the courts.
