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Federal Courts, Empty Benches: The Wednesday Vacancy Count 10/19/2011
October 19, 2011
- For a District by District break down, see: Federal Court Vacancy Warning System
The current vacancy warning level for the U.S. Federal courts is set at blue and is down from Yellow from last week. There were four additional confirmations at the district court level, lowering the vacancy warning level from yellow to blue for the first time since October 10, 2011. There was however an additional vacancy at the appellate level, raising their vacancy warning back up to yellow. The final tally leaves 86 vacancies or approximately 9.9% of the total Article III posts currently unfilled, lowering the overall vacancy warning level to blue for the first time in 10 weeks. The vacancy information for the various court levels is as follows:
| Key: | |
| (Percentage of seats vacant.) | |
| 0% | 1%-9% |
| 10%-24% | 25%-40% |
| More than 40% | |
| Supreme Court | 0% or no vacancies |
| Appeals Courts | 10.1% or 18 vacancies |
| District Courts | 9.9% or 68 vacancies |
There are currently 9 Supreme Court posts, 179 appellate court posts and 680 district court posts for a total of 868 Article III judges. This count includes four temporary posts, one each in the Northern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Southern District of Florida and the Central District of California. This also includes a shared post between the two Missouri districts and counts it as two posts with separate vacancies. There are currently 58 pending appointments in the Senate leaving 22% of the vacant posts without an appointment. So far this year there have been 50 confirmations.
New confirmations
Western District of Pennsylvania
On October 17, 2011 the United States Senate Confirmed Cathy Bissoon to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania with a vote of 82-3.[1] Bissoon was first appointed by Barack Obama on November 17, 2010 to fill the post vacated by Thomas Hardiman. At the time of her appointment, Bissoon served as a federal magistrate judge for the district. She received her undergraduate degree from Alfred University and her law degree from Harvard Law. The confirmation fills one of two vacancies on the 10 person court, lowering the vacancy warning level from Yellow to blue.
Southern District of New York
On October 13, 2011 there were two key confirmations for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Alison J. Nathan was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 48-44.[1] She was originally appointed on March 31, 2011 by Barack Obama to fill the seat vacated by Sidney Stein on September 1, 2010. Nathan attended Cornell University for both her undergraduate and her J.D.. At the time of appointment, she was the Special Counsel to the Solicitor General in the of the State of New York. You can find her Committee Questionnaire available here and her Questions for the Record available here.[2]
The senate also confirmed Katherine Forrest by a Senate voice vote.[1] She was originally appointed on May 4, 2011 to fill the seat vacated by Jed Rakoff. At the time of appointment, Forrest was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She earned her bachelor's from Wesleyan University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law. You can find her Committee Questionnaire available here and her Questions for the Record available here.[2]
The two confirmations lowers the vacancy warning level for the struggling district from Orange to Yellow. There are still six remaining vacancies on the court.
Western District of Arkansas
On October 13, 2011 the Senate also confirmed Susan Hickey to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas with a vote of 83-8.[1] Hickey was first nominated by Barack Obama on April 6, 2011 and was serving on the Arkansas 13th Judicial Circuit on an appointment from Mike Beebe at the time. She attended the University of Arkansas for both her B.A. and J.D.. The confirmation lowers the fills the only vacancy on the court, lowering the vacancy warning level from Orange to Green.
New vacancies
DC Court of Appeals
On October 14, 2011 Douglas Ginsburg assumed senior status after serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for 25 years. Ginsburg was first appointed to the court on September 23, 1986 by Ronald Reagan and served as chief judge of the court from 2001-2008. He graduated from Cornell University for his undergraduate and attended Chicago Law for his J.D.. The vacancy creates a third vacant post for Appeals court, raising the vacancy warning level from Yellow to Orange.
New nominations
Ninth Circuit
On October 17, 2011, Barack Obama appointed Paul Watford to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to replace Pamela Ann Rymer who passed away on September 21, 2011.[3] Watford currently serves as an Appellate litigation partner at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in Los Angeles, CA. Obama commented on the nomination, stating, "“Paul J. Watford has displayed exceptional dedication to the legal profession through his work and I am honored to nominate him to serve the American people as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals. He will be a diligent, judicious and esteemed addition to the Ninth Circuit bench."[4] The nomination would fill one of the four vacancies on the court.
See also
Footnotes
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