Trump Nominates Kentucky Circuit Judge Daniel Ballou to Federal Bench

ByRichard Miniter

First Published: August 18, 2026, 1:56 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump nominated Daniel Ballou, a longtime state circuit judge and Marine Corps veteran, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “I am pleased to nominate Daniel Ballou to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Dan is a longtime Circuit Judge for Kentucky’s 34th Judicial Circuit. He received his B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law, and previously clerked for Judge Eugene Siler of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Dan is also a Marine Corps Veteran — A True Patriot! 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. Congratulations Dan! Trump” on August 18, 2026 at 5:48 PM ET.

This is Trump’s 20th message released today, and the last post was 4 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 29 of his 548 posts over the last 30 days classified as Legal posts.

Judge Daniel Ballou posed at WASHINGTON D.C. on 08/18/2026.

Daniel Torok / The White House

© copyright Flickr with permission

Ballou serves as a circuit judge for Kentucky’s 34th Judicial Circuit, Trump said. The nominee earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, the post said. Ballou previously clerked for Judge Eugene Siler of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Trump praised him as “A True Patriot.”

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Photo by  Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.

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Photo by  Zenger analysis