By Tom Ozimek
President Donald Trump announced four nominees to fill long-standing federal trial court vacancies in North Carolina, tapping prosecutors, a magistrate judge, and a private practitioner for the state’s two district courts.
Trump nominated Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Freeman and David Bragdon to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.
He also named Magistrate Judge Susan Courtwright Rodriguez and lawyer Matthew Orso for the Western District.
Trump announced his picks in a series of posts on Truth Social on Aug. 22. The president highlighted his expectations that the nominees’ character and experience will make them suitable guardians of constitutional rights.
The nominations came after months of gridlock over North Carolina judgeships in the previous administration.
Approval is needed from both of North Carolina’s Republican senators to confirm federal district court judges, under the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition. During President Joe Biden’s term, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) withheld his support, citing frustration with the White House’s handling of a Fourth Circuit appellate vacancy.
The stalemate left multiple district court seats unfilled, giving Trump the opportunity to make the appointments once he returned to the White House.
All four of Trump’s nominees were recommended by Tillis and fellow Republican Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
“Ensuring principled constitutionalist judges are confirmed to the federal courts is a privilege and responsibility I take very seriously,” said Budd in a joint statement. “As part of the Senate’s role in this process, I worked to thoroughly review potential nominees, and to make recommendations to the President highlighting individuals who will uphold our Constitution.”
Freeman, a former Justice Department official who now prosecutes cases in North Carolina, was lauded by Trump as “tough and smart.”
Bragdon, the chief appellate lawyer for the U.S. attorney’s office in the Middle District, previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The president said he expects the nominee to do a “tremendous job.”
Rodriguez has served as a magistrate judge in the Western District since 2023 and previously was a partner at McGuireWoods.
Orso, a partner at Troutman Pepper who once clerked for U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad Jr., was described by Trump as an “America First Patriot” who dedicated his career to “fighting against Radical Government Overreach.”
“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have worked to review and confirm quality judges who uphold the Constitution and support the rule of law,” Tillis said in his statement.
“I want to thank the White House for their partnership in working to select these outstanding nominees and look forward to getting them through the Judiciary Committee and confirmed on the Senate floor.”
The four nominees’ likely confirmation by the GOP-controlled Senate would resolve vacancies that left the Middle District operating with only two active judges.
