President Donald Trump on Monday named two federal trial court judges to appellate bench vacancies, announcing the selections on his social media platform. The nominations - part of a package of six judicial picks - represent the last two circuit court openings he can fill across the nation's 13 regional appeals courts.
Trump said he is nominating U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor of North Dakota to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sits in St. Louis, and Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico of Colorado to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Denver. Both nominees will need to be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate before taking their seats.
The president's announcement is one element of an expanded appellate court push during his second term. According to the administration's rollout, these two names come alongside other recent selections - part of six new judicial nominees - and follow nine other appeals court nominations Mr. Trump has made this term.
Daniel Traynor - 8th Circuit
Judge Daniel Traynor, appointed to the U.S. District Court in 2019, would take the seat of U.S. Circuit Judge Ralph Erickson, a Trump appointee who revealed in April that he would assume senior status. The 8th Circuit reviews appeals from federal trial courts in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Of the court's 11 judges, all but one were appointed by Republican presidents.
During his time on the district bench, Traynor issued several notable rulings cited in his nomination materials. In 2025, he struck down a Biden administration rule concerning the federal environmental review process for infrastructure projects, finding that the White House Council on Environmental Quality did not possess the authority to promulgate the regulation. In 2024, he blocked a Biden administration requirement that would have compelled 19 Republican-led states to provide health insurance coverage to immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children.
Traynor was also among a group of 13 judges appointed by President Trump who, in 2024, signed a joint letter announcing a boycott of hiring Columbia University students as judicial law clerks in response to the university's handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Daniel Domenico - 10th Circuit
Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico, also elevated to the district court in 2019, has been tapped for the 10th Circuit vacancy created by U.S. Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich's announcement in February that he planned to leave active service. Domenico previously served as a law clerk to Tymkovich earlier in his career. The 10th Circuit considers appeals from federal courts in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, where Democratic appointees currently hold a 7-5 majority.
Both nominations now head to the Senate for consideration. The confirmation path will be controlled by the Republican majority in that chamber. The White House emphasized that the pair are part of a sustained effort to fill appellate vacancies with judges who have prior district court experience and have issued rulings on matters including regulatory authority and federal policy implementation.
As these nominations proceed, they will be evaluated through the Senate's advice and consent process before any changes to the composition of the 8th and 10th Circuits can take effect.