Trump taps 'tweeter laureate of Texas' Willett for federal appeals court

Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, left, asks a question during oral arguments at the state Supreme Court in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

It may be time for Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett to update his Twitter bio.

The “Supreme Court justice & tweeter laureate of Texas” – as he bills himself on Twitter - was named by President Trump on Thursday for a seat on the federal bench.

Famous for his prolific and entertaining tweets, Willett’s appointment to serve as a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit came as Trump announced plans to nominate nine people to federal judgeships.

“Excellent choice,” tweeted Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “If @JusticeWillett's decisions are as good as his tweets he'll be a great voice on the 5th circuit.”

The @JusticeWillett Twitter account – which has nearly 100,000 followers – is known for its humorous take on daily life.

Willett was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by then-Gov. Rick Perry in 2005. He was elected to the position in 2006 and 2012.

“It appears @JusticeWillett has been nominated for a U.S. appeals court,” tweeted columnist John Podhoretz. “As he's maybe my favorite tweeter, this is exciting.”

As of late Thursday afternoon, Willett had not yet tweeted about the nomination.

Others appointed to the federal bench by Trump on Thursday include Stuart Kyle Duncan for circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; Kurt D. Engelhardt for circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; James C. Ho of Texas for circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Gregory E. Maggs for judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

The president also nominated Barry W. Ashe of Louisiana for district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Daniel D. Domenico for district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado; Howard C. Nielson, Jr., for district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah and Ryan T. Holte of Ohio for judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.