Federal Courts, Empty Benches: The Wednesday Vacancy Count 6/5/2013
June 5, 2013
- For a District by District break down, see: Federal Court Vacancy Warning System
The vacancy warning level for the U.S. Federal courts is currently set at Blue. There were two new vacancies this past week, leaving the final tally at 80 vacancies or approximately 9.2% of the total Article III posts currently unfilled. 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 | 8.9% or 16 vacancies |
| District Courts | 9.4% or 64 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 two shared post between the two Missouri districts and the two Kentucky districts, which count as two posts with separate vacancies.
Weekly map
The new weekly map feature will be updated every week and posted here and on the vacancy warning level analysis page.
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New confirmations
There were no new confirmations this past week.
New vacancies
First Circuit
On June 1, 2013, Judge Michael Boudin assumed senior status for the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, where he had served for over 20 years.[1] Boudin was originally nominated by George H.W. Bush and joined the court on May 26, 1992. From 2001 until 2008 he served as Chief Judge. At the time of his nomination, he was a Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 1990-1992. Born in New York, NY in 1939, Boudin graduated from Harvard University with his bachelor's degree in 1961 and later from Harvard Law School with his Law degree in 1964.[2] His transition to senior status creates the first vacancy on the court of six, lowering the vacancy warning level from Green to Yellow.
Middle District of Florida
On June 3, 2013, Judge John Antoon assumed senior status for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, where he had served for over 13 years.[3] Antoon was originally nominated by Bill Clinton and joined the court on May 31, 2000. At the time of his nomination, he was a court of appeals judge for the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. A native of California, Antoon graduated from Florida Southern College with his bachelor's degree in 1968 and also earned his juris doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law in 1971 along with a Master's degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1993.[4] His transition to senior status creates the second vacancy on the court of fifteen, lowering the vacancy warning level from Blue to Yellow.
New nominations
On June 4, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated three new judges for the contentious vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The vacancy warning level of the court is currently set at Orange with three pending vacancies. Obama commented on the nomination, stating,
| “ | So these three individuals are highly qualified to serve on the D.C. Circuit. They have broad bipartisan support from across the legal community. The nonpartisan American Bar Association have given them -- each of them -- its highest rating. These are no slouches. These are no hacks. There are incredibly accomplished lawyers by all accounts. And there are members of Congress here today who are ready to move forward with these nominations, including the Chairman, Patrick Leahy. So there’s no reason -- aside from politics -- for Republicans to block these individuals from getting an up or down vote.[5][6] | ” |
To read President Obama's full nomination speech, see, "Remarks by the President on the Nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," 6/4/2013.
Patricia Ann Millett was nominated to fill the vacancy left by John G. Roberts, Jr. upon his elevation to the Supreme Court of the United States.[7] Millett is currently a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.[8] Millett earned her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating summa cum laude in 1985. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard Law with her J.D. in 1988.[9]
Cornelia T. L. Pillard was nominated to fill the vacancy left by Douglas Ginsburg upon his retirement.[7] Pillard is currently a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.[8] Pillard earned her B.A. from Yale College, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1983. She went on to earn her J.D. from Harvard Law in 1987, again graduating Magna Cum Laude. She worked as the editor of the Harvard Law Review from 1985-1986.[10]
Judge Robert Leon Wilkins was nominated to fill the vacancy left by David Sentelle upon his retirement.[7] Wilkins is currently a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He joined the court in 2010 after a nomination from President Barack Obama. Wilkins is from Muncie, Indiana. He earned his J.D. in 1989 from Harvard Law School and his B.S. in 1986 from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.[11]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Courts Current Vacancies
- ↑ Judge Michael Boudin FJC Bio
- ↑ U.S. Courts Current Vacancies
- ↑ Judge Antoon's Biography at the Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ "Remarks by the President on the Nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," 6/4/2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate" 6/4/2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Obama Prods Republicans With Picks for D.C. Appeals Court (1)," Business Week, 6/4/2013
- ↑ Official Bio of Patricia Millett
- ↑ Judge Pillard's C.V.
- ↑ White House Press Release, "President Obama Names Three to United States District Court," May 20, 2010
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