White House withdraws appeals court nominee and puts forward replacement

The White House has withdrawn Lee Philip Rudofsky’s nomination for a seat on the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and put forward James Cody Hiland for the same position.

The seat is held by Judge Bobby E. Shepherd, who is retiring. Rudofsky’s nomination had been sent to the Senate on 14 September, according to the White House.

The latest slate comprises 16 nominations for 15 people. They include Joseph Weirsky, nominated to lead the National Counterterrorism Center following Joseph Kent’s resignation, and Mark Aesch, put forward as Federal Transit Administrator.

Peter A. Feldman was nominated both to chair the Consumer Product Safety Commission and to serve another seven-year term as a commissioner. The list also includes diplomatic nominees for Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala and Oman. William Stephens was nominated as ambassador to Papua New Guinea, with concurrent roles covering the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The nominations require Senate approval. They follow a separate round of 22 nominations that included candidates to lead the federal cybersecurity agency and serve on the Fifth Circuit appeals court.