The Federal Vacancy Count 11/26/2014
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November 26, 2014
This week's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations and vacancies from November 19, 2014, to November 25, 2014. Nominations, confirmations and vacancies occurring on November 26th will be reflected in the December 3rd report.
Action on the federal courts continued this week as the Senate Judiciary Committee moved a number of candidates to the full Senate for vote, and five were confirmed.
- Note: Last week, there were two missed confirmations that have been added to the November 19th report.
The vacancy warning level remained at blue this week after no new vacancies, three new nominations and five new confirmations. The vacancy percentage fell to 6.4%, and the total number of nominees waiting for confirmation fell to 31. The number of vacancies of Article III judges fell to 56 out of 874. 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 | 3.9% or 7 vacancies |
| District Courts | 677 | 6.8% or 46 vacancies |
| International Trade | 9 | 33.3% or 3 vacancies |
| All Judges | 874 | 6.4% or 56 vacancies |
New vacancies
There were no new vacancies this week.
New confirmations
District of Connecticut
Victor Allen Bolden
| Victor Allen Bolden received confirmation to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut on November 20, 2014, when the Senate voted 49-46 in favor of his nomination.[1] Prior to his confirmation, Bolden was corporation counsel for the City of New Haven. He earned his A.B. from Columbia University in 1986 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1989. Bolden's confirmation came 157 days after his nomination and fills the vacancy created by Janet Arterton, who took senior status on July 1, 2014.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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District of New Jersey
Madeline Cox Arleo
| The United States Senate confirmed Madeline Arleo to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on November 20, 2014, by voice vote.[2] Arleo is elevated from a position as a federal magistrate judge of the same court. She earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers College in 1985 and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1989. Arleo's confirmation comes 157 days after her nomination and fills the vacancy created by Dennis Cavanaugh, who took senior status in January 2014.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green. |
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Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Wendy Beetlestone
| Wendy Beetlestone received confirmation to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on November 20, 2014, when the Senate approved the nomination by voice vote.[3] At the time of her confirmation, Beetlestone was a shareholder at the law firm of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller. She earned her B.A. from Liverpool University in 1984 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1994. Beetlestone's confirmation comes 157 days after her nomination and fills the vacancy created by Michael Baylson, who took senior status.
The confirmation removes one of the vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The vacancy warning level remained at yellow. |
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Eastern District of Wisconsin
Pamela Pepper
| The United States Senate confirmed Pamela Pepper to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on November 20, 2014, on a vote of 95-0.[4] Prior to her confirmation, Pepper was a bankruptcy judge for the same district to which she was appointed. She earned her B.S. from Northwestern University in 1986 and her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1989. Her confirmation comes 203 days after her nomination and fills a vacancy created by Charles Clevert, who took senior status in 2012.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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Northern District of New York
Brenda K. Sannes
| Brenda K. Sannes received confirmation to the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on November 20, 2014, when the Senate voted 96-0 in favor of the nomination. At the time of the confirmation, Sannes was an assistant United States attorney for the same district to which she was appointed. She earned her B.A. from Carleton College in 1980 and her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sannes' confirmation comes 196 days after her nomination and fills the vacancy created by Norman Mordue, who took senior status in 2013.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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New nominations
On the nominations:
| “ | These individuals have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to serve as judges on the federal bench. They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.[5] | ” |
| —President Barack Obama, [6] | ||
Eastern District of New York
Ann M. Donnelly
| President Barack Obama nominated Ann M. Donnelly on November 20, 2014, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.[6] Donnelly is currently an acting justice for the Bronx County Supreme Court in New York. She earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1981 and her J.D. from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1984.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York currently has two vacancies, and the warning level is set at yellow. |
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Eastern District of Tennessee
Travis Randall McDonough
| Travis Randall McDonough received a nomination to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee from President Barack Obama on November 20, 2014.[6] McDonough is currently the counselor and chief of staff for the Mayor of Chattanooga. He earned his B.A. from Sewanee, the University of the South in 1994 and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1997.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee currently has one vacancy, and the warning level is set at yellow. |
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Western District of Missouri
Roseann A. Ketchmark
| President Barack Obama nominated Roseann A. Ketchmark to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on November 20, 2014.[6] Ketchmark is currently an assistant United States attorney for the same district to which she is nominated. She earned her B.S. from the University of Oklahoma in 1986 and her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1990.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri currently has one vacancy, and the warning level is set at yellow. |
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Weekly map
The weekly map is updated every week and posted here and on the Federal Court Vacancy Warning System analysis page.
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The United States Senate, "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress - 2nd Session (2014)," accessed November 20, 2014
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Nomination: PN1812-113," accessed November 26, 2014
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Nomination: PN1774-113," accessed November 25, 2014
- ↑ The United States Senate, "U.S. Senate Roll Cal lVotes 113th Congress - 2nd Session," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The White House, "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States District Courts," November 20, 2014
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