Trump names Brian Meyers for North Carolina federal judgeship

Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on 1 October 2026 that he had chosen Brian S. Meyers for the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Meyers has served as a magistrate judge there since 16 October 2020. Unlike his current fixed-term post, a district judgeship carries lifetime tenure and requires Senate confirmation followed by presidential appointment. [1] [3] [4]

Trump cited Meyers’s experience as a Marine Corps lawyer and federal prosecutor, saying Meyers had worked in the district for more than a decade. Meyers earned a political science degree at Davidson College and a law degree at the University of Richmond. He served on active duty as a Marine Corps officer and judge advocate from 2004 to 2008. [1] [2]

Meyers worked as an Eastern District federal prosecutor in 2008. From 2015 to 2017, he held a national security and cybercrime role at the Justice Department in Washington. He then served as the Eastern District’s executive assistant US attorney from 2018 to 2020. Trump also said Meyers had worked for the late senator Jesse Helms before earning his law degree. [1] [2] [7]

Trump named North Carolina senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, and Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, as supporters of the choice. He predicted that Meyers would continue to protect and defend the Constitution on the federal bench. [1]

Whatley is running to succeed Tillis, who plans to retire from the Senate. Bloomberg Law reported that Republicans were keen to put forward judicial nominees before the end of 2026. Trump also announced Philip Aubart as his choice for a Middle District of North Carolina judgeship.