Federal Courts, Empty Benches: The Wednesday Vacancy Count 9/5/2012
September 5, 2012
- For a District by District break down, see: Federal Court Vacancy Warning System
The current vacancy warning level for the U.S. District courts is set at Blue. There was one new vacancy during the past week. That leaves the final tally at 76 vacancies or approximately 8.8% 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 | 7.8% or 14 vacancies |
| District Courts | 9.1% or 62 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.
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
Northern District of California
On August 31, 2012 Judge James Ware retired from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California after almost 12 years on the bench.[1] He assumed the post of chief judge on January 1, 2011. Ware was originally appointed by George H.W. Bush on August 3, 1990 to a seat vacated by Robert Peckham. At the time of appointment, Ware was a superior court judge in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Ware graduated from California Lutheran University with his bachelor's degree in 1969 and later graduated from Stanford Law School with his juris doctorate in 1972. Ware was a U.S. Army Reserve Second Lieutenant in 1972 and also served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in 1973. Ware also served as a U.S. Army Reserve Captain in the Military Police from 1973 to 1986.[2] Ware's retirement creates the fourth vacancy on the court of fifteen raising the vacancy warning level from Yellow to Orange.
New nominations
There were no new nominations this past week.
See also
Footnotes
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