NEW ORLEANS- A judge with 16 years of experience on the federal bench and an attorney who has defended Louisiana's efforts to restrict abortion and gay rights are among nominees President Donald Trump has announced for a federal appeals court based in New Orleans.

The White House announced Thursday the nominations of U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt of New Orleans and Kyle Duncan, a Washington lawyer and former solicitor general in the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Also nominated were James C. Ho, a Texas lawyer who has served in the U.S. Attorney General's Office; and Don Willett, a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.

It was confirmed by the Senate, the four will fill three current and one pending vacancy on the 5th Circuit.