Washington, D.C. – Today the Senate voted 48-43 to confirm Justin Smith–best known for serving as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer in E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump–to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In that case, Mr. Smith fought to have the Supreme Court overturn a sexual assault and defamation case brought against the president by journalist E. Jean Carroll. Last month Trump’s Department of Justice opened a criminal inquiry of Ms. Carroll over the lawsuit.

“Allowing corrupt nominees like Justin Smith to take lifetime judicial roles is dangerous for our democracy,” said Alison Gill, director of nominations and democracy at NWLC. “Throughout his career, Mr. Smith has worked to restrict Americans’ voting rights, block reproductive health care access, and roll back protections for trans people. In his work as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, he insisted that the president should be immune to all consequences for crimes, even including civil offenses like defamation while in office. Clearly, Smith was nominated to the Eighth Circuit because he has shown a willingness to prioritize the president’s interests over the law.”

“Smith revealed what kind of judge he will be when he falsely alleged in court that Ms. Carroll lied about her assault and based her allegations on a television episode. This is not someone who should be in a position of power, especially over litigation that will impact the lives of women and girls.”

The Eighth Circuit oversees federal district court appeals in the Midwest, including in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.