Welcome to the Feb. 24 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
-Maya Angelou
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Grants
SCOTUS has accepted no new cases to its merits docket since our Feb. 10 issue. To date, the court has agreed to hear 64 cases for the 2024-2025 term and one case for its 2025-2026 term. By this time during the 2023-2024 term, SCOTUS had agreed to hear 62 cases.
Arguments
The Supreme Court will hear four arguments this week. Click here to read more about SCOTUS’ current term.
Click the links below to learn more about these cases:
Feb. 24
- Gutierrez v. Saenz concerns the execution of Ruben Gutierrez, who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for his involvement in the robbery and killing of Escolastica Harrison in 1998.
- The question presented: “Whether the Supreme Court should stay the execution of Ruben Gutierrez.”
Feb. 25
- Esteras v. United States concerns factors a court may consider when deciding whether to revoke an individual’s supervised release term.
- The question presented: “Even though Congress excluded section 3553(a)(2)(A) from section 3583(e)’s list of factors to consider when revoking supervised release, may a district court rely on the Section 3553(a)(2)(A) factors when revoking supervised release?”
- Perttu v. Richards concerns the legal remedies available to prisoners.
- The question presented: “In cases subject to the Prison Litigation Reform Act, do prisoners have a right to a jury trial concerning their exhaustion of administrative remedies where disputed facts regarding exhaustion are intertwined with the underlying merits of their claim?”
Feb. 26
- Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services concerns employment discrimination claims for majority groups.
- The question presented: “Whether, in addition to pleading the other elements of Title VII, a majority-group plaintiff must show ‘background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.’ App. 5a.”
In its October 2023-2024 term, SCOTUS heard arguments in 62 cases. Click here to read more about SCOTUS’ previous term.
Opinions
SCOTUS has ruled on three cases since our Feb. 10 edition. The court has issued rulings in eleven cases so far this term.
Feb. 21
- Williams v. Reed (formerly Williams v. Washington)
- Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States, ex rel. Todd Heath
- Republic of Hungary v. Simon (2024)
Federal court action
Nominations
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump (R) has not nominated any individuals to federal judgeships on Article III courts.
During his first term in office, President Trump nominated 274 individuals to federal judgeships and confirmed 234 Article III judges. For more information on the president’s judicial nominees, click here.
Confirmations
The Senate has not confirmed any nominees since President Trump took office.
Vacancies
The federal judiciary currently has 43 vacancies, all of which are for lifetime Article III judgeships. As of publication, there were no pending nominations.
According to the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, there are 10 upcoming vacancies in the federal judiciary, where judges have announced their intention to leave active judicial status.
For more information on judicial vacancies during President Trump’s term, click here.
Do you love judicial nomination, confirmation, and vacancy information? We figured you might. Our monthly Federal Vacancy Count monitors all the faces and places moving in, moving out, and moving on in the federal judiciary. Click here for our most current count.
Need a daily fix of judicial nomination, confirmation, and vacancy information? Click here for continuing updates on the status of all federal judicial nominees.
Or, keep an eye on our list for updates on federal judicial nominations.
Looking ahead
We’ll be back on March 2 with a new edition of Robe & Gavel. Until then, gaveling out!
Contributions
Myj Saintyl compiled and edited this newsletter, with contributions from Sam Post and Ellie Mikus.