Judge Stephen Alexander Vaden was sworn in as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on July 7, 2025.  Judge Vaden is from Union City, Tennessee and previously served as General Counsel at USDA during the first Trump Administration.

In a department release, Judge Vaden said, “I thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for their trust in me to support the incredible men and women of American agriculture.  I look forward to getting to work to support the Secretary in Making Agriculture Great Again.”

In 2020, President Trump appointed Judge Vaden to serve on the United States Court of International Trade where he served until accepting the nomination as Deputy Secretary at USDA.