Montgomery attorney Austin Huffaker on Wednesday was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in an 89-4 vote to be a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama.
Both Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) voted to support Huffaker’s confirmation. He was nominated for the federal judgeship by President Donald Trump in July.
In a statement, Shelby said, “Today the Senate confirmed Austin Huffaker’s nomination to be a district judge for the Middle District of Alabama, which is great news for Alabama and our nation’s federal judiciary.”
“Austin is well respected in the community, and I know that he will uphold the rule of law with the utmost integrity and honor. I was proud to support his nomination and believe that he is the ideal candidate to serve in this prestigious position,” Shelby added.
Huffaker is a shareholder at the prominent law firm of Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A, where his practice focuses on complex commercial, product and lender liability, along with professional malpractice litigation.
Additionally, Huffaker serves as a commissioner of the Alabama Securities Commission and as a member of the Alabama Civil Jury Charge Committee. He earned his bachelor of engineering, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, from the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Alabama Law Review and a Hugo Black Scholar.
In addition to Huffaker’s confirmation, nine of Alabama’s federal judicial nominees have been confirmed in the Senate, most having been originally nominated by Trump in 2017.
One of those confirmed, now-U.S. District Judge Andrew Brasher, has already been nominated by Trump for another, higher court.
Trump is responsible for nominating the first-ever African-American judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Judge Terry F. Moorer of Greenville, who was confirmed last year.
UPDATE 4:42 p.m.:
Senator Jones released a statement on Huffaker’s confirmation.
“Throughout his confirmation process, I have been proud to support Montgomery’s Austin Huffaker for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama,” Jones said.
“In July, I joined my colleague Senator Shelby to recommend Mr. Huffaker’s favorable consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee and today I cast my vote in favor of his confirmation by the full Senate,” he continued. “Mr. Huffaker has an excellent reputation within the legal profession for his fairness, temperament and thoughtfulness. I believe he will serve with the utmost integrity on the bench and will represent Alabama with distinction.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
