TN Attorney General Skrmetti Issues Statement on Whitney Hermandorfer’s Nomination to Serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti today issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Whitney Hermandorfer, Director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, to serve as Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit:

“The State of Tennessee has trusted Whitney Hermandorfer over and over with complex cases of national significance. She has never let us down. Her leadership of Tennessee's Strategic Litigation Unit sets a high bar of excellence at every level of the federal judiciary, all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States. She has led not just teams of Tennessee attorneys but broad coalitions of states from across the country. President Trump has selected a lawyer's lawyer for this important role. Whitney Hermandorfer's unwavering commitment to the rule of law, her exacting analytical rigor, and her unshakeable optimism will serve our country well.

It is only right in light of this nomination to also recognize Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch. She will leave big shoes to fill. Her service on the Sixth Circuit exemplifies the combination of intellect, integrity, and kindness I expect Whitney will herself bring to the Court. Both are proud Tennesseans and proud moms, and both are outstanding role models for young attorneys and aspiring judges. On behalf of the entire Tennessee Attorney General's Office, I commend Judge Stranch for her fidelity to the law and her devotion to the cause of justice.

Whitney Hermandorfer does not need to rest on her credentials; she has proven in case after case that she is one of the very best litigators in America. But she is also perhaps the single most credentialed lawyer in America, having clerked for a full third of the justices on the Supreme Court of the United States in addition to one of the country's most revered district court judges, and having honed her craft at one of the nation's most elite law firms before taking first chair in cases of nationwide importance.

Whitney Hermandorfer is an outstanding nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Thank you, President Trump, for your careful consideration of this important decision and for selecting an absolute rock star.”

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