Senate confirms Burrows to lead DOJ office that vets federal judges
Kansas AG deputy gains power to screen Trump's lifetime judicial nominees
⚖️Justice🏛️Government
The Senate confirmed Daniel E. Burrows as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy on Feb. 10, 2026, by a 52-46 party-line vote. No Republican senator crossed party lines to oppose the nomination, and no Democrat voted to confirm.
The Office of Legal Policy is one of the most consequential offices in the Justice Department because it controls the judicial nominations pipeline. The AAG for OLP screens candidates for Article III federal judgeships — district courts, circuit courts of appeals, and potentially the Supreme Court — then works with the White House and the Senate to get them confirmed.
Burrows served as chief deputy attorney general of Kansas under AG Kris Kobach, a prominent immigration hardliner and ally of Trump, from January 2023 until December 2024. He then moved to the Trump White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary before being nominated to the DOJ role in November 2025.
Burrows is also a U.S. Army Reserve attorney with more than 14 years of service, a background his supporters cited as evidence of public service and legal discipline. He previously worked as an attorney for the DOJ and Social Security Administration in Colorado from 2010 to 2020.
His confirmation is the third major DOJ party-line vote in the current administration. Attorney General 
Pam Bondi was confirmed 54-46 on Feb. 4, 2025, with Senator John Fetterman the only Democrat voting yes. Deputy AG 
Todd Blanche was confirmed 52-46 on March 5, 2025, with no Democratic votes.
The Judiciary Committee advanced Burrows alongside six U.S. attorney nominations and six judicial nominations on Jan. 16, 2026. Senate Republicans used a 2025 rules change allowing certain executive nominees to be confirmed en bloc, speeding confirmations over Democratic objections.
More than 5,000 DOJ employees resigned, retired, or were fired in 2025, according to advocacy group Justice Connection
The Civil Rights Division lost a majority of its nearly 400 attorneys
The Public Integrity Section — which handles political corruption cases — has been hollowed out More than a third of career management-level leaders have departed.
Trump has publicly distanced himself from the Federalist Society, which guided his first-term judicial picks
In May 2025, Trump called Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo a 'sleazebag' after judges — including ones Trump appointed — blocked some of his tariffs
Trump has shifted toward prioritizing personal loyalty over elite legal credentials in his judicial picks Burrows, who worked directly in the White House, fits that model.
⚖️Justice🏛️Government
People, bills, and sources
Daniel E. Burrows
Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy, DOJ (confirmed Feb. 10, 2026)
Pam Bondi
U.S. Attorney General (confirmed Feb. 4, 2025)
Todd Blanche
Deputy Attorney General (confirmed March 5, 2025)
Kris Kobach
Kansas Attorney General (Burrows's former employer)
Chuck Grassley
Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee (R-Iowa)
John Thune
Senate Majority Leader (R-South Dakota)
What you can do
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civic action
Contact your senators about the judicial nominations pipeline
The OLP now controls which judges get vetted for lifetime appointments. If you care about federal courts — on abortion, voting rights, environmental law, or any other issue — this is the office that shapes who gets nominated. Senate Judiciary Committee members have the most direct power to scrutinize nominees going forward.
'My name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city, state]. I'm calling about Daniel Burrows's confirmation as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. I'm concerned about [independence of judicial vetting / lack of bipartisan oversight / DOJ staff departures]. I want Senator [name] to use every available tool to scrutinize future judicial nominees and hold the OLP accountable for the vetting process. Can the Senator commit to requesting transparency in the DOJ's judicial screening criteria?'
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stay informed
Track upcoming federal judicial nominations
Federal judges serve for life. The OLP's vetting process directly determines who sits on district courts, circuit courts, and eventually the Supreme Court for the next 30-40 years. Alliance for Justice, Demand Justice, and Democracy Docket all track Trump judicial nominees and rate their records.
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stay informed
Support DOJ career staff accountability organizations
Former DOJ career prosecutors have formed watchdog groups after the mass departures of 2025. The Justice Connection tracks the exodus and documents cases where political interference affected prosecution decisions. These groups provide institutional memory when DOJ leadership changes.