Welcome to the June 8 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S.
We are in the last month of the SCOTUS term. How the time has flown, dear reader. We hope you’re ready for another batch of opinions, because we’ve got a few of them coming your way. Let’s gavel in!
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Grants
SCOTUS has not accepted any new case to its merits docket since our June 1 issue. To date, the Court has agreed to hear 59 cases for argument for the 2025-2026 term and 11 cases for the 2026-2027 term.
Arguments
The Supreme Court will not hear any arguments this week. Click here to read more about SCOTUS' current term.
In its October 2024 term, SCOTUS heard arguments in 65 cases. Click here to read more about SCOTUS's previous term.
Opinions
SCOTUS has ruled on four cases since our June 1 edition. The court has issued rulings in 43 cases so far this term. Twenty–three cases are still under deliberation.
Click the links below to read more about the specific cases SCOTUS ruled on since June 1:
June 2
Allen v. Milligan was decided without argument. The case concerns whether Alabama can use a 2023 congressional map in the 2026 elections that lower courts found to be racially discriminatory.
In a per curiam decision, SCOTUS granted Alabama a stay, which would allow it to use its 2023 congressional map for the 2026 election.
June 4
Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T, Inc. was argued before the court on April 21. The case concerns the Communications Act of 1934.
The outcome: In an 8-1 opinion, SCOTUS reversed and remanded the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Court concluded that because forfeiture orders issued under §503(b)(4) do not definitively resolve the parties’ legal obligations, and the FCC’s factual findings in its forfeiture proceedings are not conclusive, it does not violate the Seventh Amendment for the Commission to issue forfeiture orders without the involvement of a jury.
Sripetch v. Securities and Exchange Commission was argued before the court on April 20. The case concerns 15 U.S.C. §§ 78u(d)(5) and (d)(7) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s exercise of its remedial powers.
The outcome: In a 9-0 decision, SCOTUS affirmed the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, holding that a showing of a financial loss to investors is not required before the SEC may obtain a disgorgement award.
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc. was argued before the court on April 29. The case concerns patent infringement of drugs.
The outcome: In a unanimous decision, SCOTUS reversed and remanded the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Court held that Amarin failed to state a claim for actively inducing infringement of its brand-name drug’s patented uses, so its complaint cannot withstand Hikma’s motion to dismiss.
The Federal Vacancy Count
The Federal Vacancy Count tracks vacancies, nominations, and confirmations to all U.S. Article III federal courts in a one-month period. This month’s edition includes nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from May 2 to June 1.
Highlights
- Vacancies: There have been no new judicial vacancies since the May 2026 report. There are 31 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions on courts covered in this report. Including the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. territorial courts, 31 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.
- Nominations: There were seven new nominations since the May 2026 report.
- Confirmations: There was one new confirmation since the May 2026 report.
Vacancy count for June 1, 2026
A breakdown of the vacancies at each level can be found in the table below. For a more detailed look at the vacancies in the federal courts, click here.
*Though the U.S. territorial courts are named as district courts, they are not Article III courts. They are created in accordance with the power granted under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution. Click here for more information.
New vacancies
No judges left active status since the previous vacancy count. The president nominates individuals to fill Article III judicial position vacancies. Nominations are subject to U.S. Senate confirmation.
The following chart tracks the number of vacancies in the U.S. Courts of Appeals from President Donald Trump's (R) inauguration to the date indicated on the chart.
U.S. District Court vacancies
The following map shows the number of vacancies in the U.S. District Courts as of June 1.
New nominations
President Trump announced seven new nominations since the May 2026 report:
- Angela Colmenero, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Daniel Domenico, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Michael C. Martin, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Kasdin Mitchell, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- Antonio Pozos, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Daniel Traynor, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Matthew Byrne, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
New confirmations
As of May 2, the Senate has confirmed 38 of President Trump's judicial nominees—32 district court judges and 6 appeals court judges—since January 2025.
Comparison of Article III judicial appointments over time by president (1981-Present)
- Presidents have made an average of 56 judicial appointments through June 1 of their second year in office. President Barack Obama (D) had the most appointees confirmed with 86, and Presidents Trump and George W. Bush (R) had the fewest confirmations with 38.
- President Bill Clinton made the most appointments through four years with 174. President George W. Bush made the fewest through four years with 122.
- President Obama made the most appointments through two years with 134. President W. Bush made the fewest with 54.
- President Obama made the most appointments through one year in office with 45. President George W. Bush made the fewest with 22.
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 this list for updates on federal judicial nominations.
Looking ahead
We’ll be back on June 22 with a new edition of Robe & Gavel. Until then, gaveling out!
Contributions
Myj Saintyl compiled and edited this newsletter, with contributions from Sam Post, Ellie Mikus, and Spencer Richardson.