Justin Olson (Indiana)
Justin Olson is a confirmed nominee to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on December 1, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on February 5, 2026, by a vote of 50-47.[1][2][3][4][5] Olson will join the court upon receiving his judicial commission and taking his judicial oath. Click here for more information on Olson's federal judicial nomination.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one 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 court, Olson was an attorney at Kroger, Gardis & Regas, LLP, a law firm based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.[6]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On December 1, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Olson to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.[2] He was confirmed by a 50-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on February 5, 2026.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Justin Olson |
| Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 66 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: December 1, 2025
|
| ABA Rating: Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: [N/A Questionnaire] |
| Hearing: December 17, 2025
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: January 15, 2026
|
| Confirmed: February 5, 2026
|
| Vote: 50-47
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Olson by a vote of 50-47 on February 5, 2026.[4] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Olson confirmation vote (February 5, 2026) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
0 | 45 | 0 | ||||||
 Republican |
50 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 50[7] | 47 | 3 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Olson's nomination on December 17, 2025. Olson was reported to the full Senate on January 15, 2026, after a 12-10 committee vote.[8] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.
Nomination
On November 14, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Justin Olson to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The president officially nominated Olson on December 1, 2025. Olson's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2026.[9] The president renominated Olson on January 5, 2026.[4]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Olson qualified.[10] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Olson was nominated to replace Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, who assumed senior status on July 1, 2024.[11]
Biography
Education
Olson obtained a bachelor's degree from Grove City College in 2010 and a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2013.[6]
Professional career
Olson's professional career experience includes working at Kroger, Gardis & Regas, LLP, a law firm based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.[6]
About the court
| Southern District of Indiana |
|---|
| Seventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 5 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: James Sweeney |
| Active judges: Matthew Brookman, James Patrick Hanlon, Tanya Walton Pratt, James R. Sweeney II Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94 United States district courts. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts. The district has courthouses in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evenasville, and New Albany, Indiana. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in Chicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Southern District of Indiana has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Indianapolis Division, covering Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Tipton, Union and Wayne counties.[12]
The Terre Haute Division, covering Clay, Greene, Knox, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.[12]
The Evansville Division, covering Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.[12]
The New Albany Division, covering Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Ohio, Orange, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland and Washington counties.[12]
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 Southern District of Indiana
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
External links
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," November 14, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," December 1, 2025
- ↑ Congress.Gov, "PN673-4 — 119th Congress (2025-2026) — Justin R. Olson — The Judiciary," accessed December 1, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Congress.Gov, "PN726-11 — 119th Congress (2025-2026) — Justin R. Olson — The Judiciary," accessed January 5, 2026
- ↑ The Federal Judicial Center, "Olson, Justin Ross," accessed February 5, 2026
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kroger, Gardis & Regas, LLP, "Justin R. Olson – Counsel," accessed November 20, 2025
- ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "RESULTS OF COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING," accessed January 15, 2026
- ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed February 5, 2025
- ↑ Biography from Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of Indiana
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana
State courts:
Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana Court of Appeals • Indiana Tax Court • Indiana Superior Courts • Indiana Circuit Courts • Indiana City Courts • Indiana County Courts • Indiana Municipal Courts • Indiana Small Claims Courts • St. Joseph County Probate Court • Indiana Town Courts
State resources:
Courts in Indiana • Indiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Indiana
