Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on

Thursday announced four new judicial nominees, including a White

House lawyer tapped to fill a vacancy on a key court that would

be involved in hearing lawsuits by companies seeking refunds if

the U.S. Supreme Court rules ​against the legality of his

sweeping global tariffs.

Trump highlighted the nomination ‌of Kara Westercamp to the U.S.

Court of International Trade in one of a series of social media

posts in which he ⁠also unveiled three other new judicial

nominees in Montana, South Carolina and the Virgin Islands.

Westercamp, an ⁠associate counsel in the White House, had

previously worked at the U.S. ‌Department of Justice. Trump

hailed ‌her as a "very experienced Trade Lawyer" involved with

"defending our historic and popular America First Agenda."

Trump also nominated Katie Lane, a ​lawyer at the Republican

National Committee, to serve as ‌a district court judge in

Montana, where she had previously served as a deputy solicitor

general. Trump said that in her role at the RNC she had ​played a

"critical role in stopping Voter Fraud."

In South ​Carolina, Trump ‌nominated Nelson Mullins partner Sheria

Clarke to a district court judgeship. Trump noted she previously

served as chief counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives'

Committee on Oversight and Government ⁠Reform and counsel on the

U.S. House Select Committee on the Events in Benghazi, Libya.

Trump ⁠also nominated federal prosecutor Evan Rikhye to serve

a 10-year term on the U.S. District Court for the District of

the Virgin Islands, a territorial court.

If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Westercamp would

become a life-tenured member of a nine-member specialist court

tasked with hearing cases arising under U.S. trade laws,

including ⁠lawsuits concerning ‌tariffs and duties collected by

U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Kara knows the ‌Wisdom and Courage required to protect the

American People, who have been ripped off by other Countries ⁠for

far too long," Trump said. "She will always put America First."

Hundreds of companies including Costco, Goodyear Tire &

Rubber Company ( GT ) and Revlon have in recent weeks filed a wave of

lawsuits before the court challenging Trump's sweeping tariffs

and seeking refunds on duties paid in anticipation of a U.S.

Supreme Court declaring them unlawful.

A three-judge panel of that court in May blocked most of Trump's

tariffs in a sweeping ruling that found the president

overstepped his authority. ​The U.S. Court of Appeals for the

Federal Circuit upheld that decision in August, which the U.S.

Supreme Court is now reviewing.

Trump, in response to the initial ruling in May, in a social

media ​post on Truth Social questioned "where these initial ‌three

Judges come from" and blasted its ruling as "so wrong, and so

political."

(Reporting ​by Nate Raymond in Boston)