Justin Smith (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit)
Justin Smith is an attorney.[1]
On March 2, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Justin Smith to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.[1][2][3] As of March 2, 2026, Smith was awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for more information on Smith's federal judicial nomination.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On February 18, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Smith to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.[1] On March 2, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Smith to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Justin Smith |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
| Progress |
| 22 days since nomination. |
 Nominated: March 2, 2026
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 ABA Rating:
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| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing:
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
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Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
As of March 2, 2026, Smith was awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee hearing.
Nomination
On February 18, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Justin Smith to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The president officially nominated Smith on March 2, 2026. Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
About the court
| Eighth Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
| File:US-CourtOfAppeals-8thCircuit-Seal.png |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 11 |
| Judges: 11 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Steven Colloton |
| Active judges: William D. Benton, Steven Colloton, Ralph Erickson, L. Steven Grasz, Raymond Gruender, Jane Kelly, Jonathan Kobes, James Loken, Bobby Shepherd, Lavenski Smith, David Stras Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Eighth Circuit has 11 authorized judicial posts. The chief judge of the court is Lavenski Smith, who was appointed by President George W. Bush (R). Four of the judges on the court were appointed by Donald Trump (R).
Appeals are heard in the Thomas Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri.
Three judges of the Eighth Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Willis Van Devanter was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1910 by William Howard Taft, Charles Evans Whittaker was appointed in 1957 by Dwight Eisenhower, and Harry Blackmun was appointed in 1970 by Richard Nixon. The Eighth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Brett Kavanaugh is the circuit justice for the Eighth Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has jurisdiction over the United States district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
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
External links
Footnotes
