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Judge Justin Walker is sworn in prior to testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be a U.S. circuit judge for the District of Columbia Circuit on Capitol Hill on May 6 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst - Pool/Getty Images)

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of 38-year-old Kentucky district court judge Justin Walker to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., CNN reports.

Why it matters: Walker's appointment to one of the most powerful courts in the country illustrates how President Trump has reshaped the federal judiciary during his first term. Walker's appointment is the 199 to the federal bench since Trump took office.

Details: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only Republican to oppose Walker's confirmation.

  • Walker is a protégé of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's, who lobbied for his nomination, per the New York Times.
  • Walker received his district court confirmation last year after being rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association, given what was characterized as a lack of experience.

Go deeper

Updated 1 min ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Health: U.S. reports 1 million cases in 6 days — Fauci says transition delay harmful to public health
  2. States: Washington state announces new measures to combat "raging" pandemic —Michigan imposes restrictions on schools and restaurants as cases surge
  3. Politics: Biden coronavirus adviser: "We do not need" a nationwide shelter-in-place order

States announce new coronavirus measures as U.S. adds 1M new cases in 6 days

A COVID-19 testing super site at the Orange County Fair & Events Center on Thursday in Costa Mesa, California, which this week became the second state after Texas to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases. Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The U.S. has recorded more than 1 million new COVID-19 cases in six days, Johns Hopkins data shows.

The big picture: Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from the coronavirus are accelerating across the country, as more governors and local officials announce new measures to try and curb the pandemic's spread.

Miriam Kramer, author of Space
6 hours ago - Science

SpaceX launches new crew of astronauts for NASA

The Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Florida. Photo: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Japan's Soichi Noguchi are on their way to the International Space Station.

Why it matters: The crewed launch marks the second time SpaceX has launched people to orbit for NASA and the mission is expected to be the first of many regular flights like this to the space station.