Maria Lanahan
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'Maria Lanahan is a confirmed nominee to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. She was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on May 12, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 9, 2025, by a vote of 52-45.[1][2][3] Lanahan will join the court upon receiving her judicial commission and taking her judicial oath. Click here for more information on Lanahan's federal judicial nomination.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri 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, Lanahan was principal deputy solicitor general of Missouri.[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On May 6, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Lanahan to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.[1] He officially nominated Lanahan on May 12, 2025. She was confirmed by a 52-45 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 9, 2025.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Maria Lanahan |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 120 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
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| Confirmed: September 9, 2025
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| Vote: 52-45
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lanahan by a vote of 52-45 on September 9, 2025.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Lanahan confirmation vote (September 9, 2025) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
0 | 43 | 2 | ||||||
 Republican |
52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 52[4] | 45 | 3 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Lanahan 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 Maria Lanahan to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He officially nominated Lanahan on May 12, 2025.[2] As of May 12, 2025, Lanahan 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.
Lanahan was nominated to replace Judge Ronnie L. White, who retired from the court on July 31, 2024.[6]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Lanahan well qualified.[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Education
Lanahan was born in 1987 in Portland, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University in 2009 and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013.[3]
Professional career
- 2021-2025: Office of the Attorney General, State of Missouri
- 2025: principal deputy solicitor general
- 2021-2025: deputy solicitor general
- 2020-2021: Law clerk, Hon. Raymond W. Gruender, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- 2018-2020: Senior manager, litigation, Charter Communications, St. Louis, Missouri
- 2014-2018: Private practice, St. Louis, Missouri
- 2013-2014: Law clerk, Hon. Brian K. Zahra, Michigan Supreme Court[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, Maria Lanahan, 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, Jefferson, Lincoln, Maries, Phelps, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, 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, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Sainte Genevieve, 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 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 Congress.gov, "PN150-4 — Maria A. Lanahan — The Judiciary," accessed May 15, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Federal Judicial Center, "Lanahan, Maria Ann," accessed September 9, 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
- ↑ The Federal Judicial Center, "White, Ronnie Lee," accessed July 31, 2024
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed June 26, 2025
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
