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Joshua Divine (Missouri)
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2025 - Present
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2025 - Present
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Joshua Divine is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He was nominated to the courts by President Donald Trump (R) on May 6, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 22, 2025, by a vote of 51-46.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri are two of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Prior to joining the courts, Divine was Solicitor General and Director of Special Litigation of Missouri.[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and for the Western District of Missouri (2025-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On May 6, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Divine to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.[1] Trump officially nominated Divine on May 12, 2025. He was confirmed by a 51-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on July 22, 2025.[2] Divine received commission on July 24, 2025.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Joshua Divine |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 71 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 12, 2025
|
| ABA Rating: Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: June 4, 2025
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: June 26, 2025
|
| Confirmed: July 22, 2025
|
| Vote: 51-46
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Divine by a vote of 51-46 on July 22, 2025.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Divine confirmation vote (July 22, 2025) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
0 | 45 | 0 | ||||||
 Republican |
50 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 51[4] | 46 | 3 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Divine was reported to the full Senate on June 26, 2025, after a 12-10 committee vote.[5]
Nomination
On May 6, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Joshua Divine to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Trump nominated Divine on May 12, 2025.[2] As of May 12, 2025, Divine was awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
Divine was nominated to replace Judge Rodney Sippel, who assumed senior status on January 28, 2023.[2]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Divine well qualified.[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Education
Divine was born in 1990 in Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 2012 and a law degree from Yale Law School in 2016.[3]
Professional career
- 2025-Present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- 2023-2025: Solicitor general and director of special litigation, State of Missouri
- 2021-2022: Chief counsel, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri
- 2020-2021: Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States
- 2019-2020: Deputy counsel, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri
- 2017-2019: Deputy solicitor general, State of Missouri
- 2016-2017: Law clerk, Hon. William J. Pryor, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit[3]
About the court
| Eastern District of Missouri |
|---|
| Eighth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 9 |
| Judges: 8 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Stephen Clark |
| Active judges: Henry Autrey, Zachary Bluestone, Stephen Clark, Joshua Divine, Sarah Pitlyk, Matthew Schelp, Cristian M. Stevens, Brian C. Wimes Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, and Hannibal, Missouri. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Eastern District of Missouri has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Missouri consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of Missouri.
There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Eastern Division, covering Crawford, Dent, Franklin, Gasconade, Iron, Jefferson, Lincoln, Maries, Phelps, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Sainte Genevieve, Saint Louis, Warren, and Washington counties, as well as the City of St. Louis.
The Northern Division, covering Adair, Audrain, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, and Shelby counties.
The Southeastern Division, covering Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, and Wayne counties.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," accessed May 2, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Congress.gov, "PN150-2 — Joshua M. Divine — The Judiciary," accessed May 15, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Federal Judicial Center, "Divine, Joshua Michael," accessed July 24, 2025
- ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "RESULTS OF COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING," June 26, 2025
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed June 26, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rodney Sippel |
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Rodney Sippel |
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Stephen Clark (Missouri) • Henry Autrey • Brian C. Wimes • Sarah Pitlyk • Matthew Schelp • Zachary Bluestone | ||
| Senior judges |
Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. • Jean Hamilton • Catherine Perry • E. Richard Webber • Rodney Sippel • Edward Filippine • Nanette Laughrey • Audrey Fleissig • John Ross (Missouri) • | ||
| Magistrate judges | Patricia Cohen • Joseph S. Dueker • Shirley Mensah • Abbie S. Crites-Leoni • Noelle C. Collins • John Bodenhausen • Stephen Welby • Rodney Holmes • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Carol Jackson • Charles Shaw (Missouri) • Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr. • Donald Stohr • John Nangle • Samuel Treat • Elmer Bragg Adams • Henry Samuel Priest • Amos Madden Thayer • David Patterson Dyer • Gustavus Adolphus Finkelnburg • Charles Breckenridge Faris • Roy Winfield Harper • Charles B. Davis (Missouri federal judge) • George Moore (Missouri) • John Collet • William Webster • Clyde Cahill • William Collinson • Richard Duncan (Missouri) • Joseph Stevens (Missouri) • Harris Wangelin • George Gunn • Rubey Hulen • William Hungate • James Meredith (Missouri) • John Regan • Randolph Weber • Ronnie L. White • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Carol Jackson • Jean Hamilton • Catherine Perry • Rodney Sippel • Edward Filippine • John Nangle • Roy Winfield Harper • George Moore (Missouri) • Harris Wangelin • James Meredith (Missouri) • | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove | ||
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
