U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM)

President Donald Trump on Friday took steps to further cement his mark on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, an appellate court he has frequently criticized for ruling against his administration's policies. 

The White House announced that the president intends to nominate veteran San Diego prosecutor Patrick Bumatay and former Nevada Solicitor General Lawrence VanDyke to seats set to come open as Ninth Circuit Judges Carlos Bea of California and Jay Bybee of Nevada take senior status. Both sitting judges have indicated to the president that they will take on the reduced senior role, once their replacements are nominated and confirmed.

Longtime prosecutor Bumatay currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney in the appellate and narcotics sections of the Southern District of California. He previously served as counselor to the attorney general on issues including the opioid crisis and cross-border organized crime. Early in his career, Bumatay clerked for Judge Timothy Tymkovich on the Tenth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Sandra L. Townes of the Eastern District of New York.

In a statement provided by the Judicial Crisis Network, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions lauded Bumatay's nomination. "Patrick's many fine qualities, including his integrity, intellect, and collegiality, make him exceedingly worthy of this position," Sessions said. "And his fidelity to the text of the Constitution is exactly what this country needs."

VanDyke, who served as Nevada's solicitor general from 2015 until earlier this year, currently serves as a deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. A former associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, VanDyke clerked for Judge Janice Rogers Brown at the D.C. Circuit earlier in his career.

Friday's nominations come after Trump last month put forward Danielle Hunsaker, the presiding judge on the Washington County Circuit Court of Oregon, to fill a Ninth Circuit seat left vacant when Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain took senior status at the Ninth Circuit at the end of 2016. If Hunsaker, Bumatay and VanDyke are confirmed, 13 of the circuit's 29 active seats will be held by judges nominated by Republican presidents.

The White House on Friday also nominated four lawyers to district court seats in Southern California. In the Central District of California, Trump nominated Greenberg Gross partner John Holcomb of Costa Mesa. Holcomb, a bankruptcy and intellectual property specialist, joined Greenberg Gross from Knobbe Martens last year. Also in the Central District, the president tapped current U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve Kim for a district judge seat. Kim served as managing director for cybersecurity risk management firm Stroz Friedberg prior to taking the bench in 2016. In the Southern District of California, the president nominated criminal defense attorney Knut Johnson and veteran federal prosecutor Michelle Pettit to district court seats.