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Kara Westercamp

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Kara Westercamp
Westercamp in 2026
Judge of the United States Court of International Trade
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 10, 2026
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byStephen Vaden
Personal details
BornKara Marie Westercamp
(1982-06-24) June 24, 1982 (age 44)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
PartyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Iowa
(BBA, BA, MBA, JD)
Occupationlawyer

Kara Marie Westercamp (born June 24, 1982) is an American lawyer. She serves as an associate White House Counsel in the second Donald Trump administration. She was previously a trade attorney for the United States Department of Justice Civil Division. In February 2026, Westercamp was nominated by President Donald Trump for a seat on the United States Court of International Trade.

Early life and education

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Kara Marie Westercamp was born on June 24, 1982, at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Barbara and Keith Westercamp.[1][2][3][4] Her mother worked as a teacher and her father worked as a bank executive.[4] Westercamp studied political science, finance, and management at the University of Iowa, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and was the 2002 Iowa Honey Queen and 2003 American Honey Princess.[5][6] She graduated in 2005 with both a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and management and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa.[6][7] She graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa College of Business and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2009.[7][8][9]

Career

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Westercamp served as a law clerk for John Alfred Jarvey, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, from 2009 to 2011.[8] She practiced business litigation at Jones Day in New York City where she was a litigator in the Business & Tort Litigation group.[10] She later worked as a trade attorney for the United States Department of Justice, specifically in the department's Civil Division, arguing cases before the United States Court of International Trade.[11] She also argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims.[6]

She serves as an Associate White House Counsel under the Second Trump Administration.[12] President Donald Trump referred to Westercamp as a "very experienced trade lawyer" and stated that she was committed to his "America First" agenda.[13][14]

Nomination to Court of International Trade

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On February 12, 2026, Westercamp was nominated by President Trump to fill Stephen Vaden's vacancy on the United States Court of International Trade.[15]

During her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 25, 2026, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Senate Democratic Whip and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Westercamp about her past social media posts, including repeatedly referring to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as "Cocaine Mitch" and retweeting a post accusing him of "embody[ing] everything that's wrong with politics" as well as a post saying that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is "true to NO ONE, but [his] own self-preservation". Westercamp apologized for the posts and stated she regretted making them. Senator Durbin questioned her temperament for a lifetime appointment.[16][17] When questioned by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on who won the 2020 presidential election, she stated that "in 2020, President Biden was certified by the Electoral College."[16] Westercamp declined to answer direct questions about rejecting conspiracy theories claiming that law enforcement was responsible for the violence during the January 6 attacks.[18]

On April 30, 2026, the Judiciary Committee reported her nomination to the floor on a 12–10 party line vote.[19] On July 16, 2026, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination 49–48.[20] On July 21, 2026, the Senate confirmed her nomination by a 50–48 vote.[21][22] She received her judicial commission on August 10, 2026.

Personal life

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Westercamp is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Capital Area Iowa Club in Washington, D.C.[6]

References

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  1. ↑ Westercamp, Kara Marie (February 23, 2026). "Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire" (PDF). www.judiciary.senate.gov. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  2. ↑ "St. Luke's Birth Care Center Welcomes". The Gazette. June 17, 1984. p. 11. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ↑ "Vital Statistics". The Gazette. June 25, 1982. p. 2. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. 1 2 Swegle, Al (March 24, 1982). "C.R. Women's Reigns Meant More Travel, New Friends". The Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ↑ "Sen. Joe Lieberman Does the Iowa State Fair". Democracy in Action's P2004: The 2004 Presidential Campaign. Washington, D.C.: DemocracyInAction. August 14, 2002. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Westercamp Sisters" (PDF). University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa. 2021. p. 2. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Kara Westercamp". Alliance for Justice. Washington, D.C. February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "All rise, judicial clerkship success at Iowa Law". University of Iowa College of Law. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa. April 20, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Kara Westercamp, U.S. Court of International Trade". Demand Justice. Washington, D.C. February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Collins, J.P. (February 25, 2026). "The Surest Path to a Federal Judgeship Is Being One of Trump's Lawyers". Balls and Strikes. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  11. ↑ Hawkins, Ari (February 12, 2026). "Trump nominates White House lawyer to trade court that could decide details of any tariff refunds". Politico. Arlington County, Virginia. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ Raymond, Nate (February 12, 2026). "Trump nominates White House lawyer to court hearing tariff cases". Reuters. London, England. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Trump Picks Trade Court Nominee". Legal Insider. February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  14. ↑ "President Trump nominates Kara Westercamp (09JD) to trade court". University of Iowa College of Law. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  15. ↑ Bublé, Courtney (February 12, 2026). "Trump Nominates Judges for SC, Mont., Virgin Islands". Law360. New York, New York. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Raymond, Nate (March 25, 2026). "Trump's nominee to trade court apologizes for past social media posts". Reuters. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Durbin Presses MAGA Nominee To Lifetime Position On The Court Of International Trade About Inflammatory Social Media Posts Spreading Conspiracy Theories About January 6 Insurrection". U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ Thomsen, Jacqueline (March 25, 2026). "White House Lawyer Nominated as Judge Apologizes for Posts". Bloomberg News. New York, New York. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ Raymond, Nate (April 30, 2026). "US Senate panel advances Trump judicial nominee ABA deemed 'not qualified'". Reuters. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Roll Call Vote 119th Congress - 2nd Session". United States Senate. Washington, D.C. July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  21. ↑ "PN851-8 — Kara Marie Westercamp — The Judiciary". United States Congress. Washington, D.C. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ Raymond, Nate (July 21, 2026). "White House lawyer confirmed to judgeship after bashing Republican senators". Reuters. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Kara Westercamp at Wikimedia Commons
  • Kara Westercamp at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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