In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from Sept. 2 through Oct. 1. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Vacancies: There have been four new judicial vacancies since the September 2025 report. There are 51 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, 52 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.
- Nominations: There have been no new nominations since the previous report.
- Confirmations: There have been three new confirmations since the previous report.
New vacancies
There were 51 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 5.9, which is 0.2 percentage points higher than the vacancy percentage in August 2025.
- The nine-member U.S. Supreme Court does not have any vacancies.
- Two (1%) of the 179 U.S. Appeals Court positions are vacant.
- 47 (7%) of the 677 U.S. District Court positions are vacant.
- There is one vacancy on the U.S. Court of International Trade.
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.
Four judges left active status, creating Article III life-term judicial vacancies. 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 David Godbey assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
- Judge Mitchell Goldberg retired from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
- Judge Jane Boyle assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
- Judge Diane Sykes assumed senior status on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Federal judicial vacancies
The following map shows the number of vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals as of Oct. 1.
The following map shows the number of vacancies in the United States District Courts as of Oct. 1.
The following chart shows the number of federal judicial vacancies each month during President Donald Trump’s (R) administration from Jan. 21 to Oct. 1.
New nominations
Trump announced no new nominations since the previous report.
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has nominated 27 individuals to Article III positions.
New confirmations
There have been three new confirmations since the previous report.
- Maria Lanahan to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
- Kyle Dudek to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
- Edward Artau to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The Senate has confirmed eight of Trump’s judicial nominees as of Oct. 1—six district court judges and two appeals court judges—since January 2025. To review a complete list of Trump’s confirmed nominees from both presidential terms, click here.
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