Current federal judicial vacancies
According to U.S. Courts, there are 48 current Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary of 870 total Article III judgeships. Including non-Article III judges from the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, there are 49 vacancies out of 890 active federal judicial positions.[1]
Article III judges serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. They are appointed for life terms. A vacancy occurs when a judge resigns, retires, takes senior status, or passes away. In the event of a scheduled upcoming vacancy, the president may submit a nomination to the U.S. Senate prior to the vacancy taking effect.
There are five key steps in the vacancy process: a presidential nomination, a U.S. Senate committee hearing, a vote by a U.S. Senate committee to report the nominee to the full Senate, a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate, and a confirmed nominee taking their judicial oath and receiving their judicial commission.
Current map
The map below details the percentage of vacant seats in each federal district court. This map is updated on the second business day of each month. Ballotpedia considers a vacancy to be filled once the confirmed nominee has received commission.
Note: this map is auto-generated. Due to rounding, a section may be colored differently than the legend indicates. Click here to see the specific percentage for each court.
Current vacancies
The tables below detail the current vacancies within the federal courts system along with the percentage of seats vacant by court. Ballotpedia considers a vacancy to be filled once the confirmed nominee has received commission. The colors in each row are based on the percentage of vacant seats. The colors correlate as follows:
- Green indicates there are no vacancies on a specific court.
- Blue indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 1 to 9 percent.
- Yellow indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 10 to 24 percent.
- Orange indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 25 to 40 percent.
- Red indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is above 40 percent.
Note: A district's coloration is based on its percentage of vacant seats. A district may be a different color than the legend would indicate if its percentage is being rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Pending nominations
Three key steps in the vacancy process that Ballotpedia covers are a U.S. Senate committee hearing, a vote by a U.S. Senate committee, and a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate. The tables below list nominees at each of those three steps in the process.
Note: The sections below include the president's Article III and non-Article III judicial nominees.[2]
Waiting for committee hearing
The nominees in this table are awaiting hearing in a U.S. Senate committee.
Number of nominees awaiting hearing: 17
| Nominee | Court | First nomination |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Colom | United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | November 15, 2022 |
| Kashi Way | United States Tax Court | February 3, 2024 |
| Adam Landy | United States Tax Court | February 3, 2024 |
| Rose Jenkins | United States Tax Court | February 3, 2024 |
| Rebecca Kanter | United States District Court for the Southern District of California | February 1, 2024 |
| Joseph Palmore | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 |
| Carmen Iguina González | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 |
| April Perry | United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| Jeffrey Arbeit | United States Tax Court | May 9, 2024 |
| Cathy Fung | United States Tax Court | May 9, 2024 |
| Benjamin Guider | United States Tax Court | May 9, 2024 |
| Danna Jackson | United States District Court for the District of Montana | April 30, 2024 |
| Detra Shaw-Wilder | United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida | March 21, 2024 |
| Ryan Y. Park | United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | July 8, 2024 |
| Byron Conway | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin | July 8, 2024 |
| Jonathan E. Hawley | United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois | July 8, 2024 |
| Gail Weilheimer | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | July 8, 2024 |
Waiting for committee vote
The nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the appropriate U.S. Senate committee following the hearing.
Number of nominees awaiting a vote: 8
| Nominee | Court | First nomination | Committee hearing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Truong | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024 | June 4, 2024 | ||||
| Ray McKenzie (Washington D.C.) | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | June 4, 2024 | ||||
| Erin Johnston | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | June 4, 2024 | ||||
| Rahkel Bouchet | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024September 9, 2019 | June 4, 2024 | Rahkel Bouchet | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024September 9, 2019 | June 4, 2024 |
| Sherri Beatty-Arthur | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | June 4, 2024 | ||||
| Laura Provinzino | United States District Court for the District of Minnesota | June 13, 2024 | July 10, 2024 | ||||
| Mary Kay Costello | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | June 13, 2024 | July 10, 2024 | ||||
| Noël Wise | United States District Court for the Northern District of California | June 13, 2024 | July 10, 2024 |
Waiting for vote in Senate
Nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the full United States Senate following committee consideration.
Number of nominees awaiting a Senate vote: 23
| Nominee | Court | First nomination | Committee vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adeel Mangi | United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | November 27, 2023 | January 18, 2023 |
| Mustafa Kasubhai | United States District Court for the District of Oregon | September 18, 2023 | First: November 9, 2023, [3] Second: November 30, 2023, January 18, 2023 (third) |
| Sarah Russell | United States District Court for the District of Connecticut | October 4, 2023 | November 30, 2023, January 18, 2023 (second) |
| Kenechukwu Okocha | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | June 8, 2023 (first), January 3, 2024 (second) | September 12, 2023 (first), January 31, 2024 (second) |
| Amir Ali | United States District Court for the District of Columbia | February 1, 2024 | March 7, 2024 |
| Sparkle Sooknanan | United States District Court for the District of Columbia | February 27, 2024 | April 18, 2024 |
| Kevin Ritz | United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Brian Murphy (Massachusetts) | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Rebecca Pennell | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Jeannette Vargas | United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Cynthia Valenzuela | United States District Court for the Central District of California | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Meredith Vacca | United States District Court for the Western District of New York | May 14, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Joseph Saporito | United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | May 14, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Stacey Neumann | United States District Court for the District of Maine | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Sarah Netburn | United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Mary Kay Lanthier | United States District Court for the District of Vermont | June 4, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Anne Hwang | United States District Court for the Central District of California | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Catherine Henry | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | June 4, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Julia Lipez | United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit | June 4, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Karla Campbell | United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | June 4, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Embry Kidd | United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | May 14, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Adam Abelson | United States District Court for the District of Maryland | May 14, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Michelle Williams Court | United States District Court for the Central District of California | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
Federal vacancies over time
The chart below shows federal court vacancies from April 2011 to the present.
See also
- The Biden administration on federal courts
- Judicial vacancies during the Biden administration
- United States federal courts
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Courts, "Current Judicial Vacancies," accessed March 4, 2024
- ↑ Nominees to Article I tribunals, the United States territorial courts, or to courts with general jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Unlike Article III judges, these judges do not serve for life.
- ↑ Kasubhai's nomination was re-referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on November 13, 2023. He was reported out of the committee for the second time on November 30, 2023
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