In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from April 2, 2025, to May 1, 2025. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Vacancies: There has been one new judicial vacancy since the April 2025 report. There are 45 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions on courts covered in this report. Including the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, 46 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.
- Nominations: There has been one new nomination since the previous report.
- Confirmations: There have been no new confirmations since the previous report.
New vacancies
There were 45 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 5.2, the same vacancy percentage as in April 2025.
- The nine-member U.S. Supreme Court does not have any vacancies.
- 3 of the 179 (1.7%) U.S. Appeals Court positions are vacant.
- 42 of the 677 (6.2%) U.S. District Court positions are vacant.
- The nine-member U.S. Court of International Trade does not have any vacancies.
A vacancy occurs when a judge resigns, retires, takes senior status, or passes away. Article III judges, who serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, are appointed for life terms.
One judge left active status in April 2025, creating an Article III life-term judicial vacancy. As Article III judicial positions, these vacancies must be filled by a nomination from the president. Nominations are subject to confirmation on the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.
- Judge Sharion Aycock assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
Federal judicial vacancies
The following map shows the number of vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals as of May 1, 2025.
The following map shows the number of vacancies in the United States District Courts as of May 1, 2025.
The following chart shows the number of federal judicial vacancies each month during President Donald Trump’s (R) administration from January 21, 2025, to May 1, 2025.
New nominations
Trump has announced one new nomination since the previous report:
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has nominated one individual to an Article III position.
New confirmations
There were no new confirmations since the previous report.
As of May 1, 2025, the Senate had not confirmed any of Trump’s judicial nominees since January 2025. To review a complete list of Trump’s confirmed nominees from both of his presidential terms, click here.
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