Matthew Orso

Western District of North Carolina
	Fourth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 5
	Judges: 5
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Martin Reidinger
	Active judges: Kenneth Bell, Max O. Cogburn Jr., Matthew Orso, Martin Reidinger, Susan Rodriguez; Senior judges:; Robert Conrad, Graham Mullen, Richard Voorhees, Frank Whitney

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Matthew Orso
	Court: United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Progress
	Confirmed 79 days after nomination.
	Nominated: September 15, 2025
	ABA Rating: Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: September 17, 2025
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: October 9, 2025
	Confirmed: December 3, 2025
	Vote: 57-41

Matthew Orso is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on September 15, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 3, 2025, by a vote of 57-41.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Orso was a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (2025-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On August 22, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Orso to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.^[3] He was officially nominated to the on September 15, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 3, 2025, by a vote of 57-41.^[1] Orso received commission on December 12, 2025.^[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Orso by a vote of 57-41 on December 3, 2025.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Orso confirmation vote (December 3, 2025)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	5	39	1
Republican	52	0	1
Independent	0	2	0
Total	57^[4]	41	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Orso's nomination on September 17, 2025. Orso was reported to the full Senate on October 9, 2025, after a 14-8 committee vote.^[5]

Nomination

On August 22, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Matthew Orso to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The president officially nominated Orso on September 15, 2025.^[1] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.

Orso was nominated to replace Judge Robert Conrad, who assumed senior status on May 17, 2023.^[6]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Orso qualified.^[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Early life and education

Orso was born in 1978 in Highland, Illinios. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton in 2001 and a law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 2009.^[2]

Professional career

2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
2011-2025: Law clerk, Hon. Robert Conrad, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
2009-2011: Private practice, Charlotte, North Carolina^[2]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in downtown Richmond, Virginia, at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse. The Western District of North Carolina has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Western District of North Carolina consists of all the following counties in the western part of the state of North Carolina.

There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Asheville Division, covering Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cleveland, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, and Yancey counties

The Bryson Division, covering Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties

The Charlotte Division, covering Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union counties

The Statesville Division, covering Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, and Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, Watauga, and Wilkes counties

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.