Current federal judicial vacancies
According to U.S. Courts, there are 40 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 40 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: 6
| Nominee | Court | First nomination |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Scott Colom | United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | November 15, 2022 |
| Rebecca Kanter | United States District Court for the Southern District of California | February 1, 2024 |
| Tali Farhadian Weinstein | United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
| Frances Tydingco-Gatewood | United States District Court of Guam |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Davenport | United States District Court for the District of New Mexico | September 9, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
| Elizabeth Coombe | United States District Court for the Northern District of New York | September 9, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
| Tiffany Johnson (Georgia) | United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia | July 31, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
| Anthony Brindisi | United States District Court for the Northern District of New York | July 31, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
| Keli Neary | United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | July 31, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
| Sarah Netburn | United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | April 30, 2024 | May 22, 2024 |
| Serena R. Murillo | United States District Court for the Central District of California | November 18, 2024 | November 20, 2024 |
| Benjamin Cheeks | United States District Court for the Southern District of California | November 18, 2024 | November 20, 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 |
| Amir Ali | United States District Court for the District of Columbia | February 1, 2024 | March 7, 2024 |
| Brian Murphy (Massachusetts) | United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Catherine Henry | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | June 4, 2024 | August 1, 2024 |
| Cynthia Valenzuela | United States District Court for the Central District of California | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Carmen Iguina González | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Erin Johnston | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Karla Campbell | United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | June 4, 2024 | August 1, 2024 |
| 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) |
| Rahkel Bouchet | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Ray McKenzie (Washington D.C.) | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Rebecca Pennell | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington | March 21, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| Sherri Beatty-Arthur | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Sparkle Sooknanan | United States District Court for the District of Columbia | February 27, 2024 | April 18, 2024 |
| Joseph Palmore | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Julia Lipez | United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit | June 4, 2024 | August 1, 2024 |
| John Truong | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Anne Hwang | United States District Court for the Central District of California | April 30, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| Gail Weilheimer | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | July 8, 2024 | September 19, 2024 |
| Noël Wise | United States District Court for the Northern District of California | June 13, 2024 | August 1, 2024 |
| Ryan Y. Park | United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | July 8, 2024 | November 14, 2024 |
| Nicholas Miranda | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | July 31, 2024 | November 20, 2024 |
| James Lake | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | July 31, 2024 | November 20, 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 October 15, 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.
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