U.S. Senators Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Doug Jones, R-Ala., supported and today announced that Austin Huffaker of Montgomery, Alabama, has been confirmed by a Senate vote of 89-4 to be a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama. Huffaker was nominated for the federal judgeship by President Trump in July 2019. Following his nomination, he appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration and was reported out of the committee with bipartisan support.
“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,” said Senator Shelby. “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,” said Sen. Shelby.
“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. 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. 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,” said Sen. Jones.
Austin Huffaker is currently a shareholder at Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett, P.A, where his practice focuses on complex commercial, product and lender liability, and professional malpractice litigation. Mr. Huffaker serves as a Commissioner of the Alabama Securities Commission and a member of the Alabama Civil Jury Charge Committee. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree, 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. Additionally, through the local chapter of the Federal Bar Association where he has served as an officer in leadership for over 10 years, Huffaker formed the local non-profit Federal Bar Center to help pro se litigants with their federal court complaints, with the overwhelming majority of them being from underserved communities.
In addition to Huffaker’s confirmation, eight of Alabama’s federal judicial nominees have been confirmed in the Senate, each having been nominated by President Trump in 2017.
