On October 21, 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed Anne‑Leigh Gaylord Moe to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in a 53‑46 vote.  She was nominated by President Donald Trump and will fill the seat vacated by Judge Brian J. Davis, who assumed senior status in late 2023.

Moe has a long legal resume: prior to her nomination she served on Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal and before that as a circuit judge in Hillsborough County, Florida. She also began her career as an Assistant State Attorney in Tampa, focusing on criminal prosecutions and victims’ rights. Her supporters praised her for being a “fair and disciplined jurist” aligned with conservative judicial philosophy; her critics warned that her record suggested deference to hardline positions on criminal justice and immigration.

Her confirmation marks another milestone in the Trump administration’s efforts to shape the federal judiciary with jurists committed to textualist or originalist legal approaches and “law and order” frameworks. With the Middle District of Florida being one of the country’s busiest federal trial courts—covering major population centers including Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville—Moe’s decisions are expected to influence major civil and criminal litigation in the region for decades.

In short: The Senate’s vote reflects the narrow yet consistent partisan alignment on judicial confirmations in the current Congress. Anne‑Leigh Gaylord Moe’s appointment underscores the lasting impact of the Trump era’s judicial‑selection strategy and signals that conservative legal influence will continue to grow in federal courts.