[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 119 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4302-S4303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Nomination of Whitney D. Hermandorfer

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, later today, Senate Republicans will 
hold the first procedural vote on a judicial nominee in Donald Trump's 
second term, Whitney Hermandorfer, to be a circuit judge on the Sixth 
Circuit.
  Everyone knows that for Donald Trump's judges, one thing has always 
mattered most: loyalty to him. Not experience, not independence, not 
knowledge of the law, not even following the rule of law. When it comes 
to judges, Donald Trump cares only about one thing: fealty. He doesn't 
care about the law, precedent, or even what the Constitution says. He 
only wants them to do whatever he wants, no matter how baseless or 
irrational it is.
  A quick glance at Ms. Hermandorfer's background shows she is 
unqualified to serve on the bench. She has less than 10 years of legal 
experience. She has never served as the sole or chief counsel on a 
single case that was tried to verdict. Indeed, she has made a career 
out of going after people's reproductive rights, their transgender 
rights, and anti-discrimination policies.
  At the Tennessee Attorney General's Office, she has tried to strike 
down protections for employees who need reproductive care. She 
supported Donald Trump's firing of more than a dozen inspectors 
general, even filing an amicus brief on behalf of Tennessee.
  The list of reasons why Ms. Hermandorfer would make a terrible

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judge goes on and on and on. If Ms. Hermandorfer is the standard for 
Donald Trump's judges in his second term, then it is clear Republicans 
learned nothing from the first time around.

  The American people don't want Donald Trump's foot soldiers wearing 
black robes. They want experienced, fair, and independent jurists 
committed to upholding the law. Ms. Hermandorfer falls way short of the 
mark, and I oppose her nomination.
  Again, when the only criteria for choosing a judge is fealty to 
Donald Trump, the judiciary runs amok; the judiciary is weakened; and 
the executive, as they are trying to take away power from the first 
branch of government, the Congress, is also trying to take away power 
from the third branch of government, the judiciary, in an effort to 
make Donald Trump a virtual King. That is what he wants. That is 
terrible for America and terrible for what this country has always 
stood for.