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The Federal Vacancy Count 12/17/2014
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December 17, 2014
This week's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations and vacancies from December 10, 2014, to December 16, 2014. Nominations, confirmations and vacancies occurring on December 17th will be reflected in the January 7th report. The Federal Vacancy County will be taking an extended break for the holidays and will return on January 7, 2015!
The Senate confirmed 12 new federal judges shortly before closing session on the 113th Congress.
The vacancy warning level remained at blue this week after no new vacancies, no new nominations and 12 new confirmations. The vacancy percentage fell to 4.6%, and the total number of nominees waiting for confirmation fell to 25. The number of vacancies of Article III judges fell to 41 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 | 4.6% or 31 vacancies |
| International Trade | 9 | 33.3% or 3 vacancies |
| All Judges | 874 | 4.7% or 41 vacancies |
New vacancies
There were no new vacancies this week.
New confirmations
Eastern District of New York
Joan Azrack
| On December 16, 2014, the United States Senate confirmed Joan Azrack to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on a voice vote.[1] She was elevated from the roll of a magistrate judge for the same court. Azrack earned her B.S. from Rutgers University in 1974 and her J.D. from New York Law School. Her confirmation came 89 days after the nomination and filled the vacancy created by Joanna Seybert.
The confirmation removes one of the vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to blue. |
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Eastern District of Texas
Robert William Schroeder III
| Robert William Schroeder III received confirmation on December 16, 2014, when the Senate approved the nomination to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas by a voice vote.[1] Prior to his confirmation, he was a partner at the law firm of Patton Tidwell Schroeder & Culvertson, LLP. Schroeder earned his B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1989 and his J.D. from the American University in 1994. His confirmation came 173 days after his nomation and filled the vacancy created by David Folsom.
The confirmation removed one of the two vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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Amos Mazzant
| The United States Senate confirmed Amos Mazzant to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[1] He was a magistrate judge for the same court at the time of his confirmation. Mazzant earned his undergraduate from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987 and his J.D. from the University of Baylor in 1990. His confirmation came 173 days after his nomination and filled the vacancy created by T. John Ward.
The confirmation removed the vacancy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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District of Columbia
Amit Priyavadan Mehta
| The United States Senate confirmed Amit Priyavadan Mehta to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[1] At the time of his appointment, Mehta was a partner at the law firm of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. He earned his B.A. from Georgetown University in 1993 and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. Mehta's confirmation came 138 days after his nomination and filled a vacancy created by Ellen Huvelle.
The confirmation removes one of the vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to blue. |
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District of Massachusetts
Allison Dale Burroughs
| The United States Senate confirmed Allison Dale Burroughs to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[1] Prior to being confirmed, Burroughs was a partner at the law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish, LLP. She earned her B.A. from Middlebury College in 1983 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1988. Burroughs' confirmation came 138 days after his nomination and filled the vacancy created by Rya Zobel.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green. |
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Middle District of North Carolina
Loretta Copeland Biggs
| The United States Senate confirmed Loretta Copeland Biggs to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[1] Biggs leaves a position as a partner at the law firm of Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler, P.A. to join the federal judiciary. She earned her B.A. from Spelman College in 1976 and her J.D. from Howard University School of Law. Biggs' confirmation came 89 days after her nomination and filled the vacancy created by James Beaty.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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Northern District of California
Haywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr.
| The United States Senate confirmed Haywood Stirling Gilliam, Jr. to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[1] At the time of his confirmation, Gilliam was a partner for the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP. He earned his B.A. from Yale University in 1991 and his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1994. Gilliam's confirmation came 120 days after his nomination and filled a future vacancy by Claudia Wilken.
The confirmation filled a future vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The vacancy warning level remained at green. |
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Northern District of Illinois
Jorge L. Alonso
| Jorge L. Alonso received confirmation to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 16, 2014, when the Senate approved the nomination on a voice vote.[1] Alonso was a judge on the Illinois Cook Judicial Circuit Court prior to his confirmation to the federal court. He earned his B.A. from the University of Miami in 1988 and his J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1991. His confirmation came 133 days after his nomination and filled the vacancy created by Ronald Guzman.
The confirmation removes a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green. |
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John Robert Blakey
| John Robert Blakey received confirmation to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 16, 2014, when the Senate approved the nomination by a voice vote.[1] At the time of his confirmation, Blakey was the chief of the special prosecutions bureau for Cook County. He earned both this B.A. and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 and 1992, respectively. Blakey's confirmation came 133 days after his nomination and filled a vacancy created by James Holderman.
The confirmation removes a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green. |
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Western District of Missouri
Stephen R. Bough
| Stephen R. Bough received confirmation on December 16, 2014, when the United States Senate voted 51-38 in favor of the nomination.[1] At the time of his confirmation Bough was a partner at the Law Offices of Stephen R. Bough. His prior experience includes an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, attorney at Henning & Bough and Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman and judge pro tem for the City of Roseland Park. He clerked for the Honorable Scott Wright to start his career. Bough earned his B.A. from Missouri State University and his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of law. While attending law school he was the editor-in-chief of the law review. Bough's confirmation came 335 days after his nomination and filled the vacancy created by Fernando Gaitan.
The confirmation removes the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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Western District of Texas
Robert Lee Pitman
| Robert Lee Pitman became the first openly gay federal judge in Texas when he was confirmed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.[2] The Senate approved the nomination by a voice vote on December 16, 2014.[1] At the time of his confirmation, Pitman was the United States Attorney for the same district to which he was appointed. He earned his undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University in 1985 and his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988. Pitman's confirmation came 173 days after his nomination and filled the vacancy created by William Furgeson.
The confirmation removed the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The vacancy warning level fell from blue to green |
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Western District of Virginia
Elizabeth K. Dillon
| Elizabeth K. Dillon received confirmatin to the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia on December 16, 2014, when the Senate approved the nomination by a voice vote.[1] At the time of her confirmation, Dillon was a partner for the law firm of Guynn, Memmer & Dillon, P.C. She received her A.B. from Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1983 and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1986. Dillon's confirmation came 89 days after her nomination and fills the vacancy created by Samuel Wilson.
The confirmation removed the only vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. The vacancy warning level fell from yellow to green. |
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New nominations
There were no new nominations this week.
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
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 The Library of Congress, "Congressional Record," December 16, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "confirmed" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, "First openly gay judge confirmed to federal bench in Texas," December 17, 2014
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