Note: Judiciary Tracker is currently not updating. The data displayed below is as of the last day of the Trump presidency. We are working on a new version of Judiciary Tracker that we hope to release soon.
Provided by the
Article III Project
We pull together data from multiple public sources to make it easy to access key information about the federal judiciary, judicial vacancies, and pending nominations.
Jump to section:
Composition of the federal judiciary
As of today, the 1460th day of Donald J. Trump's presidency, the Senate has confirmed 234 Article III judges nominated by President Trump, and 54 intermediate appellate judges nominated by President Trump. That is the 2nd fastest confirmation pace of all U.S. presidents, and the 2nd fastest confirmation pace for federal appellate judges of any U.S. president.
For comparison, here are the numbers of (1) confirmed Article III judges and (2) federal intermediate appellate judges nominated by every U.S. president at the 1460th day of their presidencies:
All Article III
U.S. Courts of Appeals
Note: there are only 43 presidents listed in the left column because (1) Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President, and (2) William Henry Harrison did not appoint any Article III judges. There are only 22 presidents listed in the right column because the modern-day U.S. Courts of Appeals were created by Congress in 1891, so no president before Grover Cleveland made appointments to those courts.
| As of Jan. 20, 2017 | As of Jan. 19, 2021 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Court | Seats | D | R | Vacant | Balance | D | R | Vacant | Balance | ||
| Supreme Court | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | Tie | 3 | 6 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| D.C. Circuit | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | D + 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| Federal Circuit | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | D + 4 | 8 | 4 | 0 | D + 4 | ||
| First Circuit | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | D + 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | D + 3 | ||
| Second Circuit | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | D + 3 | 6 | 7 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| Third Circuit | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | D + 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| Fourth Circuit | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | D + 3 | 8 | 7 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| Fifth Circuit | 17 | 5 | 10 | 2 | R + 5 | 5 | 12 | 0 | R + 7 | ||
| Sixth Circuit | 16 | 5 | 10 | 1 | R + 5 | 5 | 11 | 0 | R + 6 | ||
| Seventh Circuit | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | R + 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | R + 6 | ||
| Eighth Circuit | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | R + 8 | 1 | 10 | 0 | R + 9 | ||
| Ninth Circuit | 29 | 18 | 7 | 4 | D + 11 | 16 | 13 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| Tenth Circuit | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | D + 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| Eleventh Circuit | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | D + 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| Ct. Int'l Trade | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | D + 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | Tie | ||
| D. Alaska | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tie | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| M.D. Alabama | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | R + 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | R + 2 | ||
| N.D. Alabama | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | R + 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | R + 4 | ||
| S.D. Alabama | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | R + 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| E.D. Arkansas | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| W.D. Arkansas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| D. Arizona | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | D + 5 | 7 | 6 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| C.D. California | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | R + 1 | 9 | 13 | 6 | R + 4 | ||
| E.D. California | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Tie | 3 | 1 | 2 | D + 2 | ||
| N.D. California | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | D + 12 | 13 | 1 | 0 | D + 12 | ||
| S.D. California | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | R + 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | R + 1 | ||
| D. Colorado | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Tie | 3 | 3 | 1 | Tie | ||
| D. Connecticut | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | D + 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | D + 3 | ||
| D. Columbia | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | D + 11 | 11 | 4 | 0 | D + 7 | ||
| D. Delaware | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | D + 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| M.D. Florida | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 | Tie | 6 | 9 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| N.D. Florida | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Tie | 1 | 3 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| S.D. Florida | 18 | 8 | 8 | 2 | Tie | 7 | 10 | 1 | R + 3 | ||
| M.D. Georgia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | D + 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| N.D. Georgia | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | D + 6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| S.D. Georgia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| D. Hawaii | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | D + 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| N.D. Iowa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Tie | 1 | 1 | 0 | Tie | ||
| S.D. Iowa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| D. Idaho | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | D + 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Tie | ||
| C.D. Illinois | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | D + 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | D + 4 | ||
| N.D. Illinois | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | D + 9 | 13 | 9 | 0 | D + 4 | ||
| S.D. Illinois | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | D + 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| N.D. Indiana | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | R + 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| S.D. Indiana | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | D + 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| D. Kansas | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | D + 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | R + 4 | ||
| E.D. Kentucky | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | R + 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | R + 6 | ||
| W.D. Kentucky | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | D + 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| E.D. Louisiana | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | D + 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | Tie | ||
| M.D. Louisiana | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| W.D. Louisiana | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | R + 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | R + 5 | ||
| D. Massachusetts | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | D + 6 | 8 | 3 | 2 | D + 5 | ||
| D. Maryland | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | D + 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | D + 6 | ||
| D. Maine | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| E.D. Michigan | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | D + 8 | 11 | 4 | 0 | D + 7 | ||
| W.D. Michigan | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | R + 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | R + 4 | ||
| D. Minnesota | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | D + 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Tie | ||
| E.D. Missouri | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | D + 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| W.D. Missouri | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | D + 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | D + 5 | ||
| N.D. Mississippi | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| S.D. Mississippi | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | R + 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | R + 4 | ||
| D. Montana | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| E.D. North Carolina | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | R + 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | R + 4 | ||
| M.D. North Carolina | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| W.D. North Carolina | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | R + 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| D. North Dakota | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | R + 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| D. Nebraska | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| D. New Hampshire | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| D. New Jersey | 17 | 7 | 8 | 2 | R + 1 | 7 | 4 | 6 | D + 3 | ||
| D. New Mexico | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | R + 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | R + 1 | ||
| D. Nevada | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | D + 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | D + 5 | ||
| E.D. New York | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | Tie | 6 | 6 | 3 | Tie | ||
| N.D. New York | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | D + 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | D + 2 | ||
| S.D. New York | 28 | 21 | 6 | 1 | D + 15 | 19 | 7 | 2 | D + 12 | ||
| W.D. New York | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | D + 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| N.D. Ohio | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | D + 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| S.D. Ohio | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | D + 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| E.D. Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | R + 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| N.D. Oklahoma | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | R + 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| W.D. Oklahoma | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | R + 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | R + 7 | ||
| D. Oregon | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | D + 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| E.D. Pennsylvania | 22 | 9 | 11 | 2 | R + 2 | 9 | 12 | 1 | R + 3 | ||
| M.D. Pennsylvania | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | D + 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Tie | ||
| W.D. Pennsylvania | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | R + 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | R + 6 | ||
| D. Puerto Rico | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Tie | 2 | 5 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| D. Rhode Island | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tie | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| D. South Carolina | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | D + 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Tie | ||
| D. South Dakota | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | D + 3 | ||
| E.D. Tennessee | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | R + 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| M.D. Tennessee | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | D + 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Tie | ||
| W.D. Tennessee | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Tie | 2 | 3 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| E.D. Texas | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | D + 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | R + 2 | ||
| N.D. Texas | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | R + 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 | R + 8 | ||
| S.D. Texas | 19 | 8 | 9 | 2 | R + 1 | 8 | 11 | 0 | R + 3 | ||
| W.D. Texas | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | R + 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 | R + 5 | ||
| D. Utah | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | D + 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| E.D. Virginia | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | D + 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | Tie | ||
| W.D. Virginia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | D + 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| D. Vermont | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | D + 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| E.D. Washington | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | D + 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | D + 4 | ||
| W.D. Washington | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | R + 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | R + 2 | ||
| E.D. Wisconsin | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Tie | 2 | 2 | 1 | Tie | ||
| W.D. Wisconsin | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | D + 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | D + 2 | ||
| N.D. West Virginia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | R + 1 | ||
| S.D. West Virginia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
| D. Wyoming | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | D + 1 | ||
The highlight color of the state column indicates whether that state has two Republican senators (red), two Democratic senators (blue), or one Republican senator and one Democratic senator (purple). (Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who were elected as independents, are counted as Democrats because they caucus with Senate Democrats.) Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have no senators, and the Court of International Trade, which is located in New York, is not subject to the "blue slip" procedure by which home-state senators can exercise limited veto power over judicial nominees.
Note: This tracker counts vacant Article III seats . There are 673 district judgeships, but 678 district court seats. The discrepancy is attributable to multiple seats held "concurrently" by a single judge:
As of today, there are 46 vacancies on the Article III courts, and 21 nominations pending to fill those vacancies.
Of the remaining 25 vacancies that are awaiting a nominee,
1 (4%) are in red states,
21 (84%) are in blue states,
3 (12%) are in purple states, and
0 (0%) are in states (or for courts) that have no senators.
Vacancies by court:
| Court | Vacancies | Nominees | Awaiting nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Courts of Appeals | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| District Courts | 43 | 19 | 24 |
| Court of International Trade | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 46 | 21 | 25 |
All vacancies:
| Court | State | Vacated By | Vacated On | Vacator Appointed By | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Circuit | PR | Torruella, Juan R. | 10/26/20 | Ronald Reagan | Raul M. Arias-Marxuach |
| Seventh Circuit | IL | Flaum, Joel Martin | 11/30/20 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Ct Int'l Trade | IT | Gordon, Leo Maury | 3/22/19 | George W. Bush | Joseph L. Barloon |
| W.D. Alabama | AL | Brasher, Andrew Lynn | 6/30/20 | Donald J. Trump | Edmund G. LaCour, Jr. |
| C.D. California | CA | Snyder, Christina A. | 11/23/16 | William J. Clinton | |
| C.D. California | CA | O'Connell, Beverly Reid | 10/8/17 | Barack Obama | Steve Kim |
| C.D. California | CA | Morrow, Margaret M. | 1/6/16 | William J. Clinton | Jeremy B. Rosen |
| C.D. California | CA | Real, Manuel Lawrence | 6/26/19 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Rick Lloyd Richmond |
| C.D. California | CA | Selna, James V. | 3/3/20 | George W. Bush | |
| C.D. California | CA | Guilford, Andrew J. | 1/31/20 | George W. Bush | |
| E.D. California | CA | England, Morrison C., Jr. | 12/17/19 | George W. Bush | Dirk B. Paloutzian |
| E.D. California | CA | O'Neill, Lawrence Joseph | 2/2/20 | George W. Bush | James P. Arguelles |
| S.D. California | CA | Anello, Michael M. | 10/31/18 | George W. Bush | |
| S.D. California | CA | Moskowitz, Barry Ted | 1/23/19 | William J. Clinton | R. Shireen Matthews |
| S.D. California | CA | Houston, John A. | 2/6/18 | George W. Bush | Knut Sveinbjorn Johnson |
| S.D. California | CA | Benitez, Roger T. | 12/31/17 | George W. Bush | Adam L. Braverman |
| D. Colorado | CO | Krieger, Marcia S. | 3/3/19 | George W. Bush | |
| D. Connecticut | CT | Thompson, Alvin W. | 8/31/18 | William J. Clinton | Barbara Bailey Jongbloed |
| S.D. Florida | FL | Moreno, Federico A. | 7/17/20 | George H.W. Bush | |
| D. Massachusetts | MA | Woodlock, Douglas Preston | 6/1/15 | Ronald Reagan | |
| D. Massachusetts | MA | O'Toole, George A., Jr. | 1/1/18 | William J. Clinton | |
| D. Minnesota | MN | Ericksen, Joan N. | 10/15/19 | George W. Bush | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Martini, William J. | 2/10/15 | George W. Bush | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Linares, Jose L. | 5/16/19 | George W. Bush | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Sheridan, Peter G. | 6/14/18 | George W. Bush | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Hochberg, Faith S. | 3/6/15 | William J. Clinton | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Kugler, Robert B. | 11/2/18 | George W. Bush | |
| D. New Jersey | NJ | Simandle, Jerome B. | 7/19/19 | George H.W. Bush | |
| D. New Mexico | NM | Herrera, Judith C. | 7/1/19 | George W. Bush | Brenda M. Saiz |
| D. New Mexico | NM | Brack, Robert C. | 7/25/18 | George W. Bush | Fred Joseph Federici III |
| D. Nevada | NV | Jones, Robert Clive | 2/1/16 | George W. Bush | |
| D. Nevada | NV | Mahan, James C. | 6/29/18 | George W. Bush | Jennifer P. Togliatti |
| E.D. New York | NY | Cogan, Brian Mark | 6/12/20 | George W. Bush | Hector Gonzalez |
| E.D. New York | NY | Irizarry, Dora L. | 1/26/20 | George W. Bush | David Carey Woll, Jr. |
| E.D. New York | NY | Bianco, Joseph Frank | 5/17/19 | George W. Bush | Saritha Komatireddy |
| N.D. New York | NY | Sharpe, Gary L. | 1/1/16 | George W. Bush | Ryan Thomas McAllister |
| S.D. New York | NY | Forrest, Katherine Bolan | 9/11/18 | Barack Obama | Iris Lan |
| S.D. New York | NY | Sullivan, Richard Joseph | 10/25/18 | George W. Bush | Jennifer H. Rearden |
| E.D. Pennsylvania | PA | Stengel, Lawrence F. | 8/31/18 | George W. Bush | |
| E.D. Virginia | VA | O'Grady, Liam | 5/1/20 | George W. Bush | |
| W.D. Washington | WA | Pechman, Marsha J. | 2/6/16 | William J. Clinton | |
| W.D. Washington | WA | Robart, James L. | 6/28/16 | George W. Bush | |
| W.D. Washington | WA | Settle, Benjamin Hale | 1/1/20 | George W. Bush | |
| W.D. Washington | WA | Lasnik, Robert S. | 1/27/16 | William J. Clinton | |
| W.D. Washington | WA | Leighton, Ronald B. | 8/31/20 | George W. Bush | |
| E.D. Wisconsin | WI | Griesbach, William C. | 12/31/19 | George W. Bush |
As of today, there are 0 Article III nominations pending in the U.S. Senate. Also listed below are 3 recently confirmed nominations that may not yet be reflected in the composition and vacancy trackers on this page.
A brief primer on Senate procedure: The first step when a nomination is received in the Senate is to refer it to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a hearing will be held regarding the nomination. Usually about four weeks after the hearing, the Judiciary Committee "reports" the nomination to the floor of the Senate, where it is placed on the Executive Calendar. In modern practice, because filibusters of judicial nominees have become routine, the next step is for the Majority Leader to file a cloture petition. If the Senate successfully invokes cloture, which requires a simple majority, then debate is limited to two hours for district court nominees, or 30 hours for court of appeals and Supreme Court nominees. (Note: these are "floor hours," so only hours that the Senate is actually in session count.) Finally, when cloture takes effect, the Senate can proceed to a confirmation vote, which also requires a simple majority.
There is technically one more step before a confirmed nominee becomes a judge: the President must sign and deliver the nominee's judicial commission. Because this step often takes several days, there may be a lag between when Senate data reflects a nominee's confirmation and when the Federal Judicial Center and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reflects that a vacancy has been filled.
Note: The data underlying this table is only updated once per day. For up-to-the-minute information, consult the Senate Republican Cloakroom.
Nom. #
Nomination Date
Nominee
Court
Vacancy Created By
Status
Status Date
Recent confirmations
PN29
1/15/19
3 nominations, beginning with Brig. Gen. David W. Ling, and ending with Col. Rodney J. Fische
nations, beginning with Brig. Gen. David W. Ling, and ending with Col. Rodney J. Fische
nations, beginning with Brig. Gen. David W. Ling, and ending with Col. Rodney J. Fische
Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.
2/5/19
PN25
1/15/19
One nomination, beginning with Col. Frank A. Rodman, and ending with Col. Frank A. Rodma
mination, beginning with Col. Frank A. Rodman, and ending with Col. Frank A. Rodma
mination, beginning with Col. Frank A. Rodman, and ending with Col. Frank A. Rodma
Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.
2/5/19
PN24
1/9/19
One nomination, beginning with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, and ending with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garret
mination, beginning with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, and ending with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garret
mination, beginning with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, and ending with Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garret
Confirmed by the Senate by Voice Vote.
2/28/19
Last updated Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 12:15 PM Eastern Time . Updated at least twice daily, at 12:15 AM and 12:15 PM Eastern Time, using data from the U.S. Senate , the Federal Judicial Center , and the ProPublica Congress API .
Please direct comments, requests, or bug reports to info@judiciarytracker.com .
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. Journalists and others are free to use this information in their work, as long as the work includes attribution to Judiciarytracker.com.
Copyright © 2020 The Article III Project .