On August 18, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Kentucky Circuit Judge Daniel Ballou to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Ballou, a longtime circuit judge for Kentucky’s 34th Judicial Circuit, holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He previously clerked for Judge Eugene Siler of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and is a Marine Corps veteran.

"Dan is also a Marine Corps Veteran — A True Patriot!" Trump wrote in a post on X. "I have no doubt that Daniel Ballou will be a powerful defender of the Rule of Law on the Federal Bench in the GREAT Commonwealth of Kentucky."

The nomination now requires Senate confirmation. Ballou would fill a vacancy on the federal bench in a state that Trump won in the 2020 election.