In February’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies in Article III courts during the month of February through March 1. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Vacancies: There have been two new judicial vacancies since the January 2022 report. There are 78 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, 80 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.
- Nominations: There were two new nominations since the January 2022 report.
- Confirmations: There was one confirmation since the January 2022 report.
Two judges left active status, creating Article III life-term judicial vacancies, since the previous vacancy count. As Article III judicial positions, 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 Leonard Stark left the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware upon his elevation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Judge Virginia Phillips assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
U.S. Court of Appeals vacancies
The following chart tracks the number of vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals at the inauguration of President Joe Biden (D) and at the date indicated on the chart.
The following maps show the number of vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals at Biden’s inauguration and as of March 1, 2022.
New nominations
Biden has announced two new nominations since the January 2022 report.
- Stephanie Dawkins Davis, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the U.S. Supreme Court
Since taking office in January 2021, Biden has nominated 83 individuals to Article III positions.
New confirmations
The U.S. Senate confirmed one nominee since the previous report.
As of March 1, the Senate had confirmed 46 of Biden’s judicial nominees—32 district court judges and 14 appeals court judges. To review a complete list of Biden’s confirmed nominees, click here.
Additional reading: