Kara Westercamp
Kara Westercamp is an attorney at the Department of Justice.[1]
On February 12, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Kara Westercamp to the United States Court of International Trade.[1] As of February 12, 2026, Westercamp was awaiting an official nomination from the president and a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for more information on Westercamp's federal judicial nomination.
The United States Court of International Trade 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.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of International Trade
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On February 12, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Westercamp to the United States Court of International Trade. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Kara Westercamp |
| Court: United States Court of International Trade |
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Nomination
On February 12, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Kara Westercamp to the United States Court of International Trade. As of February 12, 2026, Westercamp was awaiting an official nomination from the president and a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
About the court
| Court of International Trade |
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| Federal Circuit |
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| Judgeships |
| Posts: 9 |
| Judges: 8 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Mark A. Barnett |
| Active judges: Miller Baker, Mark A. Barnett, Jennifer Choe Groves, Gary S. Katzmann, Claire R. Kelly, Joseph Laroski, Timothy Reif, Lisa Wang Senior judges: |
The United States Court of International Trade is an Article III federal court. The Customs Court Act of 1980 replaced the former United States Customs Court with the United States Court of International Trade. The court sits in New York City, although it is authorized to sit elsewhere, including in foreign nations.
Appeals from the Court of International Trade are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which normally sits in Washington, D.C. Further appeals from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit are heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.[2] The court possesses limited subject matter jurisdiction across the United States. It may hear only cases involving particular international trade and customs law questions. The court hears disputes, such as those involving protests filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, decisions regarding Trade Adjustment Assistance by the U.S. Department of Labor or U.S. Department of Agriculture, customs broker licensing, and disputes relating to determinations made by the United States International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration regarding anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
There is one notable exception to the court's jurisdiction. In cases involving anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on Canadian or Mexican merchandise, an interested party can request that the case be heard before a special ad hoc bi-national panel organized under Chapter 19 of the 1988 Canadian-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
Most cases are heard by a single judge. If a case challenges the constitutionality of a U.S. law or has important implications regarding the administration or interpretation of the customs laws, then it may be heard by a three-judge panel.
Although the court maintains its own rules of procedure, they are patterned for the most part on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
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
