Joshua D. Dunlap
Joshua D. Dunlap is a judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on July 15, 2025, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on November 4, 2025, by a vote of 52-46.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.
TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is one of 13U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediateappellate courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.
Prior to joining the court, Dunlap was a lawyer at Pierce Atwood, a law firm inPortland, Maine.[4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (2025-present)
On July 15, 2025. PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Dunlap to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[2] He was confirmed by a 52-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2025.[5] Dunlap received commission on November 7, 2025.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Joshua Dunlap |
| Court:United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 112 days after nomination. |
 ANominated: July 15, 2025 |
| AABA Rating: Well Qualified |
| Questionnaire:Questionnaire |
| AHearing: July 30, 2025 |
| Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| AReported: September 11, 2025 |
| AConfirmed: November 4, 2025 |
| AVote: 52-46 |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Joshua D. Dunlap on November 4, 2025, on a vote of 52-46.[5] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.
| Joshua D. Dunlap confirmation vote (November 4, 2025) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic | 0 | 44 | 1 | ||||||
 Republican | 52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 52[6] | 46 | 2 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Dunlap's nomination on July 30, 2025. The committee voted to advance Dunlap's nomination to the full Senate on September 11, 2025.[7]
Nomination
On July 2, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Dunlap to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The president officially nominated Dunlap on July 15, 2025.
Dunlap was nominated to replace JudgeWilliam Kayatta, who assumedsenior status on October 31, 2024.[8]
TheAmerican Bar Association (ABA) rated Dunlapwell qualified.[9] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.
Biography
Early life and education
Dunlap was born inWaterville, Maine. He earned a bachelor's degree from Pensacola Christian College in 2005 and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 2008.[3]
Professional career
- 2025-present: Judge,United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- 2009-2025: Private practice
- 2008-2009: Law clerk toPaul Kelly, Jr. of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit[3]
About the court
| First Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
| File:1st Circuit seal.png |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 6 |
| Judges: 6 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: |
| Active judges:Seth Aframe,David Barron,Joshua D. Dunlap,Gustavo Gelpí,Lara Montecalvo,Julie Rikelman Senior judges: |
TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is afederal appellate court with appellatejurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to theSupreme Court of the United States.
Appeals are heard in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse inBoston, Massachusetts. There is another circuit courthouse located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the court sits for two weeks a year.
Two judges of the First Circuit went on to serve on theSupreme Court of the United States.Stephen Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 byBill Clinton (D), andDavid Souter was appointed in 1990 byGeorge H. W. Bush (R).
The First Circuit hasappellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases fall under federal law, and may be either civil or criminal in nature. Appeals of rulings by theFirst Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to theSupreme Court of the United States. U.S. Supreme Court JusticeKetanji Brown Jackson is thecircuit justice for theFirst Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit has jurisdiction over the followingU.S. district courts:
- District of Maine
- District of Massachusetts
- District of New Hampshire
- District of Puerto Rico
- District of Rhode Island
To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.
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 theSenate 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 ablue 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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," accessed July 15, 2025
- ↑2.02.1Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," July 2, 2025
- ↑3.03.13.23.3Federal Judicial Center, "Dunlap, Joshua Dale," accessed November 18, 2025
- ↑Portland Press Herald, "Attorney in Portland nominated to federal appeals court in Boston," July 3, 2025
- ↑5.05.1Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcong - ↑Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Executive Business Meeting," accessed September 11, 2025
- ↑United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed November 15, 2023
- ↑American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed August 28, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Kayatta | United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit 2025-Present | Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Thomas Parker •Elizabeth Branch •Neil Gorsuch •Amul Thapar •David C. Nye •John K. Bush •Kevin Newsom •Timothy J. Kelly •Ralph Erickson •Scott Palk •Trevor McFadden •Joan Larsen •Amy Coney Barrett •Allison Eid •Stephanos Bibas •Donald Coggins Jr. •Dabney Friedrich •Greg Katsas •Steven Grasz •Don Willett •James Ho •William L. Campbell Jr. •David Stras •Tilman E. Self III •Karen Gren Scholer •Terry A. Doughty •Claria Horn Boom •John Broomes •Rebecca Grady Jennings •Kyle Duncan •Kurt Engelhardt •Michael B. Brennan •Joel Carson •Robert Wier •Fernando Rodriguez Jr. •Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 | Andrew Oldham •Amy St. Eve •Michael Scudder •John Nalbandian •Mark Bennett •Andrew Oldham •Britt Grant •Colm Connolly •Maryellen Noreika •Jill Otake •Jeffrey Beaverstock •Emily Coody Marks •Holly Lou Teeter •Julius Richardson •Charles B. Goodwin •Barry Ashe •Stan Baker •A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. •Terry F. Moorer •Susan Baxter •William Jung •Alan Albright •Dominic Lanza •Eric Tostrud •Charles Williams •Nancy E. Brasel •James Sweeney •Kari A. Dooley •Marilyn J. Horan •Robert Summerhays •Brett Kavanaugh •David Porter •Liles Burke •Michael Juneau •Peter Phipps •Lance Walker •Richard Sullivan •Eli Richardson •Ryan Nelson •Chad F. Kenney, Sr. •Susan Brnovich •William M. Ray, II •Jeremy Kernodle •Thomas Kleeh •J.P. Hanlon •Mark Norris •Jonathan Kobes •Michael Brown •David Counts | ||
| 2019 | Eric Miller •Chad Readler •Eric Murphy •Neomi Rao •Paul Matey •Allison Jones Rushing •Bridget S. Bade •Roy Altman •Patrick Wyrick •Holly Brady •David Morales •Andrew Brasher •J. Campbell Barker •Rodolfo Ruiz •Daniel Domenico •Michael Truncale •Michael Park •Joseph Bianco •Raúl Arias-Marxuach •Daniel Collins •Joshua Wolson •Wendy Vitter •Kenneth Kiyul Lee •Kenneth Bell •Stephen Clark •Howard Nielson •Rodney Smith •Jean-Paul Boulee •Sarah Daggett Morrison •Rossie Alston •Pamela A. Barker •Corey Maze •Greg Guidry •Matthew Kacsmaryk •Allen Winsor •Carl Nichols •James Cain, Jr. •Tom Barber •J. Nicholas Ranjan •Clifton L. Corker •Peter Phipps •Daniel Bress •Damon Leichty •Wendy W. Berger •Peter Welte •Michael Liburdi •William Shaw Stickman •Mark Pittman •Karin J. Immergut •Jason Pulliam •Brantley Starr •Brian Buescher •James Wesley Hendrix •Timothy Reif •Martha Pacold •Sean Jordan •Mary Rowland •John M. Younge •Jeff Brown •Ada Brown •Steven Grimberg •Stephanie A. Gallagher •Steven Seeger •Stephanie Haines •Mary McElroy •David J. Novak •Frank W. Volk •Charles Eskridge •Rachel Kovner •Justin Walker •T. Kent Wetherell •Danielle Hunsaker •Lee Rudofsky •Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini •Steven Menashi •Robert J. Luck •Eric Komitee •Douglas Cole •John Sinatra •Sarah Pitlyk •Barbara Lagoa •Richard Myers II •Sherri Lydon •Patrick Bumatay •R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker •Anuraag Singhal •Karen Marston •Jodi Dishman •Mary Kay Vyskocil •Matthew McFarland •John Gallagher •Bernard Jones •Kea Riggs •Robert J. Colville •Stephanie Dawkins Davis •Gary R. Brown •David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 | Lawrence VanDyke •Daniel Traynor •John Kness •Joshua Kindred •Philip Halpern •Silvia Carreno-Coll •Scott Rash •John Heil •Anna Manasco •John L. Badalamenti •Drew Tipton •Andrew Brasher •Cory Wilson •Scott Hardy •David Joseph •Matthew Schelp •John Cronan •Justin Walker •Brett H. Ludwig •Christy Wiegand •Thomas Cullen •Diane Gujarati •Stanley Blumenfeld •Mark Scarsi •John Holcomb •Stephen P. McGlynn •Todd Robinson •Hala Jarbou •David Dugan •Iain D. Johnston •Franklin U. Valderrama •John Hinderaker •Roderick Young •Michael Newman •Aileen Cannon •James Knepp •Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson •Toby Crouse •Philip Calabrese •Taylor McNeel •Thomas Kirsch •Stephen Vaden •Katherine Crytzer •Fernando Aenlle-Rocha •Charles Atchley •Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 | Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain | ||
| 2026 | |||
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