President Donald Trump announced today that he plans to nominate Maureen Ohlhausen, the acting chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, to become a federal judge.
Ohlhausen will be put forward for a spot on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which is where companies can sue the federal government.
Ohlhausen was named acting chairman of the FTC days after President Trump took office last year. She has been a commissioner of the FTC since 2012. Her term was set to expire this coming September. She had spent 11 years at the FTC. Prior to joining the agency, Ohlhausen was a clerk and staff attorney for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
“I am honored that the President has expressed his intent to nominate me to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, one of the oldest federal courts in our nation,” Ohlhausen said in a statement. In the meantime, I will continue to serve at the Federal Trade Commission until a time when I may be so fortunate as to be confirmed to the Court of Federal Claims by the United States Senate.”
Ohlhausen was one of only two commissioners currently working at the FTC. There were already three open spots prior to Ohlhausen announcing her likely departure.
No timeline was given for Ohlhausen’s departure, but she will likely stay until a new acting chairman replacement is named. President Trump had indicated months ago that he planned to nominate Joseph Simons, an antitrust lawyer, to become the next chairman, but that nomination has not been made official yet. President Trump also announced plans to nominate Rohit Chopra, who used to work at the Consumer Fi
