By a party-line vote of 50-49, Andrew Oldham was confirmed to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, after being nominated by President Donald Trump in February.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Oldham clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito before entering private practice.
Oldham also served as Deputy Solicitor General in Texas and Deputy General Counsel for Gov. Greg Abbott before being promoted in January of this year. Oldham’s promotion came as the result of a game of musical chairs kicked off by Trump’s nomination of Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Once confirmed, Abbott promoted Oldham and appointed then-General Counsel Jimmy Blacklock to replace Willett on the Texas Supreme Court.
After his nomination in February, both Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn spoke highly of Oldham, saying they both looked forward to his confirmation. Before the vote took place today in the Senate, Cruz reaffirmed his support for Oldham, stating, “Over the years, Andy has displayed a keen understanding of the Constitution. I’m confident that Andy will not substitute his own policy preferences, his own opinions, for the rule of law.”
Abbott celebrated the confirmation on Twitter, calling him “a strict constitutionalist cut from the same conservative mold as Justice Alito for whom he clerked.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton echoed the sentiment, saying ““Andy Oldham is principled, smart and will faithfully interpret the rule of law, not legislate from the bench”
Oldham joins two other Texans nominated by Trump to the Fifth Circuit court, the aforementioned former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett and former Texas Solicitor General James Ho. Both were confirmed to the court earlier this year.
