Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

Federal Courts, Empty Benches: The Wednesday Vacancy Count 4/30/2014

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
FederalVacancy Blue.png
Key:
(Numbers indicate % of seats vacant.)
0%0%-10%
10%-25%25%-40%
More than 40%



April 30, 2014

By Courtney Collins

This week's Federal Courts, Empty Benches: The Wednesday Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations and vacancies from April 23, 2014 to April 29, 2014. Nominations, confirmations and vacancies occurring on April 30th will be reflected in the May 7th report.

The vacancy warning level fell to blue this week after no new vacancies and one new confirmation. The vacancy percentage rose to 9.9%. There were no new nominations this week, which allowed the total number of nominees waiting for confirmation to fall to 49. The number of vacancies of Article III judges fell to 86 out of 865. A breakdown of the vacancies on each level can be found in the table below. For a more detailed look at the vacancies on the federal courts, see our Federal Court Vacancy Warning System.

Vacancies by court

Court # of Seats Vacancies
Supreme Court 9 0% or no vacancies
Appeals Courts 179 7.8% or 14 vacancies
District Courts 677 10.6% or 72 vacancies
All Judges 865 9.9% or 86 vacancies

New vacancies

There were no new vacancies this week.

New confirmations

Ninth Circuit

Michelle T. Friedland

Michelle T. Friedland was confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on April 28, 2014 by the United States Senate on a vote of 51-40.[1] Friedland leaves a partnership at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, a firm she joined in 2004. Friedland earned her B.A. and J.D. from Stanford University in 1995 and 2000, respectively. Senator Dianne Feinstein on the confirmation:
“ Michelle Friedland will be an excellent addition to the Ninth Circuit, and I am very pleased the Senate confirmed her today. Friedland's confirmation means the Ninth Circuit, by some measures the busiest circuit court in the country, for the first time has its full complement of 29 active judges.[2][3] ”

Michelle T. Friedland's confirmation removed the only vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. She fills a vacancy that was created when Raymond Fisher assumed senior status. This is the first time in nine years that the Ninth Circuit has had no vacancies.[4] The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green.

FederalVacancy Green.png


New nominations

There were no new nominations this week.

Passings and retirements

The passings and retirements in this section have no effect on the vacancy warning level, as both William Holloway and Warren Urbom were on senior status.

Tenth Circuit

William Holloway

William Holloway passed away on April 25, 2014.[5] He was a judge serving on senior status for the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, a court he joined in 1968 after a nomination by President Lyndon Johnson. He served the court for 45 years including as chief judge from 1984 to 1991 before his passing. Judge Jerome Holmes on his colleague:
“ The amazing humility that Judge Holloway is able to display — despite his many accomplishments — is not fake or a pretense. It is very real. He is a true public servant. The nation has lost a thoughtful, dedicated, and compassionate jurist, and, as a former law clerk of Judge Holloway, I have lost a mentor, dear friend, and colleague.[6][3] ”

Holloway was 90 at the time of his death. The United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit currently has one vacancy and the vacancy warning level remains at blue.

FederalVacancy Blue.png


District of Nebraska

Warren Urbom

Warren Urbom retired from the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska on April 25, 2014 the same date he joined the court in 1970.[7] Urbom joined the court in 1970 after a nomination by Richard Nixon, and took senior status in 1990. Chief judge Laurie Smith Camp commented on Urbom saying, "You have set the bar for all of us," as well commenting on how she wouldn't have become a district judge if it weren't for him.[7] The United States District Court for the District of Nebraska has no vacancies and remains at a green vacancy warning level.
FederalVacancy Green.png


Weekly map

The weekly map is updated every week and posted here and on the Federal Court Vacancy Warning System analysis page.

ForwardBackVwlmap4-30-2014.png

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ United States Senate, "On the Nomination (Confirmation Michelle T. Freidland, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)," accessed April 29, 2014
  2. ↑ Pleasanton Weekly, "Friedland get Senate OK to seat on 9th Circuit Court of Appeals," April 28, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ New York Times, "White House Steps Up Effort to Confirm Federal Judges," April 28, 2014
  5. ↑ News OK, "WILLIAM HOLLOWAY," April 25, 2014
  6. ↑ Tulsa World, "10th Circuit Senior Judge William Holloway Jr. dies at 90," April 25, 2014
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Journal Star, "Crowd of judges, lawyers, family pay homage to retiring federal judge," April 25, 2014
JP donation button.jpg


v • e
Ballotpedia Email Updates
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Federal_Courts,_Empty_Benches:_The_Wednesday_Vacancy_Count_4/30/2014&oldid=8575506"