Trump nominates Palm Beach judge with Cuban roots to federal bench in South Florida
Ed Artau, a state appeals court judge in Palm Beach County, has been nominated to be a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida.
President Donald Trump announced the nomination on his social media platform late Wednesday, praising Artau for his career as an appellate judge since 2020, a circuit court judge between 2014 and 2020, and previously as general counsel to the South Florida Water Management District.
Artau, 59, the son of Cuban immigrants who attended Georgetown University Law Center, will replace a vacancy created by outgoing U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. Scola, based in Miami, became a senior judge last year with a reduced caseload.
“Ed has a GREAT track record of restoring LAW AND ORDER and, most importantly, Common Sense (which is, sadly, rare these days!),” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “I know Ed will do a GREAT job for the State of Florida, and our Nation.”
Artau has been a member of the Republican Party and the conservative Federalist Society, which exerts a significant influence on judicial appointments at the state and federal levels.
At the same time, Trump also nominated four other state judges for vacancies on the federal bench in the Middle District of Florida. They are: Kyle Dudek, Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, John Guard and Jordan Pratt.
All five nominees will have hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee before the U.S. Senate votes on their confirmation.
