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Maria Lanahan

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Maria Lanahan

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Tenure

2025 - Present

Years in position

Predecessor:Ronnie L. White (Nonpartisan)

Education

Bachelor's

Gonzaga University, 2009

Law

University of Chicago Law School, 2013

'Maria Lanahan is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. She was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on May 12, 2025, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on September 9, 2025, by a vote of 52-45.^[1]^[2]^[3] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Prior to joining the court, Lanahan was principal deputy solicitor general of Missouri.^[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (2025-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On May 6, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Lanahan to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.^[1] He officially nominated Lanahan on May 12, 2025. She was confirmed by a 52-45 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 9, 2025.^[2] Lanahan received commission on September 24, 2025.^[4] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Maria Lanahan
Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Progress
Confirmed 120 days after nomination.
ANominated: May 12, 2025
AABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: June 4, 2025
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: June 26, 2025
AConfirmed: September 9, 2025
AVote: 52-45

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Lanahan by a vote of 52-45 on September 9, 2025.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Lanahan confirmation vote (September 9, 2025)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	0	43	2
Republican	52	0	1
Independent	0	2	0
Total	52^[5]	45	3

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Lanahan was reported to the full Senate on June 26, 2025, after a 12-10 committee vote.^[6]

Nomination

On May 6, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Maria Lanahan to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He officially nominated Lanahan on May 12, 2025.^[2] As of May 12, 2025, Lanahan was awaiting a hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee.Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by PresidentDonald Trump.

Lanahan was nominated to replace JudgeRonnie L. White, who retired from the court on July 31, 2024.^[7]

TheAmerican Bar Association (ABA) rated Lanahanwell qualified.^[8] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Biography

Education

Lanahan was born in 1987 in Portland, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University in 2009 and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 2013.^[3]

Professional career

2025-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
2021-2025: Office of the Attorney General, State of Missouri
- 2025: principal deputy solicitor general
- 2021-2025: deputy solicitor general
2020-2021: Law clerk, Hon. Raymond W. Gruender, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
2018-2020: Senior manager, litigation, Charter Communications,St. Louis, Missouri
2014-2018: Private practice,St. Louis, Missouri
2013-2014: Law clerk, Hon. Brian K. Zahra, Michigan Supreme Court^[3]

About the court

Eastern District of Missouri
Eighth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 9
Judges: 9
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Stephen Clark
Active judges: Henry Autrey,Zachary Bluestone,Stephen Clark,Joshua Divine,Maria Lanahan,Sarah Pitlyk,Matthew Schelp,Cristian M. Stevens,Brian C. Wimes Senior judges: Edward Filippine,Audrey Fleissig,Jean Hamilton,Nanette Laughrey,Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.,Catherine Perry,John A. Ross,Rodney Sippel,E. Richard Webber

TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is one of 94United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses inCape Girardeau,St. Louis, andHannibal, Missouri. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtownSt. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.The Eastern District of Missouri hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Missouri consists of all the followingcounties in the eastern part of the state ofMissouri.

There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheEastern Division, coveringCrawford,Dent,Franklin,Gasconade,Jefferson,Lincoln,Maries,Phelps,Saint Charles,Saint Francois,Saint Louis,Warren andWashington counties, as well as the City of St. Louis.

TheNorthern Division, coveringAdair,Audrain,Chariton,Clark,Knox,Lewis,Linn,Macon,Marion,Monroe,Montgomery,Pike,Ralls,Randolph,Schuyler,Scotland andShelby counties.

TheSoutheastern Division, coveringBollinger,Butler,Cape Girardeau,Carter,Dunklin,Iron,Madison,Mississippi,New Madrid,Pemiscot,Perry,Reynolds,Ripley,Sainte Genevieve,Scott,Shannon,Stoddard andWayne counties.

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.