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Tuesday, October 20, 2026

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White House · Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Trump names two lawyers for federal trial courts

The File desk · Oct. 20, 2026, 6:44 a.m. ET

Confirmed2 primary sources

Status

Confirmed as announcements. President Trump posted both names on Truth Social Monday afternoon. Neither name was on the White House nominations page in the morning check.
  • Confirmed
    Trump said he will nominate Joseph Falvey to the federal trial court in northern Indiana, and Eric Hamilton to the federal trial court in Nebraska.
  • Confirmed
    The posts are the source. The White House nominations page did not list them in the morning check.
President Trump said Monday he will nominate two Justice Department lawyers to federal trial courts. Joseph Falvey, an assistant U.S. attorney, would go to the Northern District of Indiana. Eric Hamilton, a deputy assistant attorney general, would go to the District of Nebraska.1
The Indiana post went up at 2:41 p.m. ET. The Nebraska post went up at 2:38 p.m. ET. Both are on Trump's Truth Social account. The politics desk didn't find either name on the White House nominations page.1
A nomination isn't a judgeship. The Senate confirms trial judges, and the Senate is out until after Election Day.
Why it matters (Estimate). Trial judges hear the ordinary federal cases in a state: criminal trials, civil suits, and sentences. These two seats stay empty until the Senate is back and votes. The only record of the names, as of Tuesday morning, is the President's posts.1
The posts don't give hearing dates. No White House release was found.
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.Truth Social, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Joseph Falvey, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 2:41 p.m. ET. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117469037934097385 Eric Hamilton, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch, U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, 2:38 p.m. ET. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117469027191542871 The politics desk checked whitehouse.gov nominations and didn't find the names. The Senate floor schedule shows no legislative session before Election Day.

What is still unknown or disputed

  • Neither nomination was on whitehouse.gov in the morning check.
  • No Senate hearing date was posted. The Senate is out until after Election Day.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Nomination of Joseph Falvey

    Donald J. Trump, Truth Social · October 19, 2026

    Joseph Falvey, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117469037934097385

  2. Source 2

    Nomination of Eric Hamilton

    Donald J. Trump, Truth Social · October 19, 2026

    Eric Hamilton, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117469027191542871

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