The U.S. Senate has confirmed Joshua Dunlap, a conservative lawyer from Maine, to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, marking President Donald Trump’s first appointment to a court long dominated by Democratic appointees. The Senate voted 52–46 along party lines, giving Trump his first opportunity to influence the appellate court overseeing federal cases in New England.
Until now, the 1st Circuit had been the only one of the 13 federal appeals courts without a Republican-appointed judge — a key venue for challenges to Trump’s policies during his previous term. Dunlap’s confirmation reshapes that balance, aligning with the administration’s ongoing push to remake the federal judiciary. The vacancy arose when Judge William Kayatta, an Obama appointee, took senior status in late 2024.
Dunlap, a partner at Pierce Atwood LLP, earned degrees from Pensacola Christian College and Notre Dame Law School. Known for his work on constitutional and regulatory cases, he has previously challenged Maine’s voting system, family leave laws, and campaign finance restrictions. In his confirmation hearing, Dunlap pledged to interpret the law “faithfully and without bias.”
The Senate also confirmed Eric Tung to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 52–45 vote, giving Trump his first appointment to that influential West Coast court. A former clerk for Justices Neil Gorsuch and Antonin Scalia, Tung’s addition further underscores Trump’s growing judicial footprint in his second term.
