Author: Ellie Mikus

  • Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for November 2023

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    In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from October 2 to November 1, 2023. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS New vacancies There were 69 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 7.9%, which…

  • Two state supreme court justices announce retirement, marking first official vacancies of 2024

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    Ballotpedia has tracked two state supreme court justice vacancies for 2024. The first state supreme court justice to confirm her retirement in 2024 was Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Elspeth Cypher, who announced in June 2023 that she plans to retire on January 12, 2024. The second to confirm retirement in 2024 was Justice Keith G.…

  • 147 of Biden’s federal judicial appointments confirmed by U.S. Senate

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    President Joe Biden (D) had appointed and the U.S. Senate had confirmed 143 Article III federal judges through October 1 of his third year in office. This is the fourth-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since President Ronald Reagan (R). Four additional Biden nominees were confirmed between October 1 and…

  • Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for October 2023

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    In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from September 2 to October 1. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS New vacancies There were 69 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 8%. A vacancy…

  • 2023 sees high percentage of mandatory state supreme court retirements, continuing 2022 trend

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    Photo of Colorado State Supreme Court building

    In 2022 and the first half of 2023, there was been an uptick in the percentage of mandatory retirements in state supreme courts. From 2019 to 2021, about one in every four retirements were mandated, while the remaining were voluntary. In 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of mandatory retirements, with about one…