In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from Oct. 2 through Nov. 4. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Vacancies: There have been three new judicial vacancies since the Oct. 1 report. There are 47 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, 48 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.
- Nominations: There have been two new nominations since the previous report.
- Confirmations: There have been nine new confirmations since the previous report.
New vacancies
There were 47 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy rate of 5.4%, which is 0.5 percentage points lower than the vacancy rate in October 2025.
- The U.S. Supreme Court has no vacancies among its nine positions.
- One (0.6%) of the 179 U.S. Appeals Court positions are vacant.
- 45 (6.6%) of the 677 U.S. District Court positions are vacant.
- The U.S. Court of International Trade has no vacancies among its nine positions.
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.
Three judges left active status, creating new Article III judicial vacancies. These vacancies must be filled by presidential nomination and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
- Judge Cathy Seibel assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Judge Nancy Torresen assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.
- Judge Michael Watson assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Federal judicial vacancies
The following map shows the number of vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals as of Nov. 4, 2025.
The following map shows the number of vacancies in the U.S. District Courts as of Nov. 4, 2025.
The following chart shows the number of federal judicial vacancies each month during the Trump administration from Jan. 21, 2025, to Nov. 4, 2025.
New nominations
President Donald Trump (R) has announced two new nominations since the previousreport.
- William J. Crain, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
- Alexander Van Hook, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has nominated 29 individuals to Article III positions.
New confirmations
Since the previous report, the U.S. Senate has confirmed nine of Trump’s nominees to Article III seats:
- Edmund LaCour, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- Jordan Pratt, to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Bill Lewis, to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
- Rebecca Taibleson, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Chad Meredith, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
- Bill Mercer, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana
- Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Harold Mooty, to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- Jennifer Mascott, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
As of Nov. 1, the Senate has confirmed 17 of Trump’s judicial nominees since he took office: 13 district court judges, four appeals court judges, no Court of International Trade judges, and no Supreme Court justices.
Additional reading:
Federal judicial appointments by president