Trump taps former Kavanaugh clerk to fill vacancy on powerful D.C. appeals court

President Trump is tapping a young district judge and former clerk to now-Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to fill a vacancy on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The nomination of Justin Walker, 37, is almost certain to trigger a vigorous battle over his qualifications to serve on the nation’s second-most influential court, which is often at the apex of key cases involving executive power and federal regulations. The American Bar Association had deemed Walker not qualified for his current post as judge for the Western District of Kentucky, where he has served for just over five months.