The Federal Vacancy Count 4/27/2016

Key: (Numbers indicate % of seats vacant.) 0% 0%-10% 10%-25% 25%-40% More than 40%

April 27, 2016

By Kevin Eirich

This month's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from March 30, 2016, to April 26, 2016. Nominations, confirmations, and vacancies occurring on April 27, 2016, will be reflected in the May 2016 report.

As of January 2016, Ballotpedia's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominees to the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Tax Court, and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Vacancy, confirmation, and nomination totals will be changed accordingly.

The map used in this report, however, does not include information on the Federal Claims Court, the United States Tax Court, or the D.C. Superior Court at this time.

The vacancy warning level remained at blue this month after one new vacancy was announced and one nominee was confirmed. The total vacancy percentage was 9.2 percent, and the number of vacancies was 89 out of 968 positions. There were four new nominations since the March 2016 update, bringing the total number of nominees waiting for confirmation to 58 (including Federal Claims Court, Tax Court, and Superior Court of D.C. nominees). A breakdown of the vacancies at each level can be found in the table below. For a more detailed look at the vacancies on the federal courts, see Ballotpedia's Federal Court Vacancy Warning System.

Vacancies by court

Court	# of Seats	Vacancies
Supreme Court	9	11.1% or 1 vacancy
Appeals Courts	179	5.0% or 9 vacancies
District Courts	677	9.6% or 65 vacancies
International Trade	9	44.4% or 4 vacancies
Federal Claims	16	37.5% or 6 vacancies
Tax Court	19	10.5% or 2 vacancies
D.C. Superior Court	62	3.2% or 2 vacancies
All Judges	968	9.2% or 89 vacancies

New vacancies

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Robert Blackburn is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Blackburn graduated from Western State College with his bachelor's degree in 1972 and from the University of Colorado Law School with his J.D. in 1974. Blackburn was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 10, 2001, to a seat vacated by Judge Zita Weinshienk, as Weinshienk went on senior status. Blackburn was confirmed by the Senate on February 26, 2002, on an unopposed 98-0-2 Senate vote and received his commission on March 6, 2002. Blackburn assumed senior status on April 12, 2016. Blackburn's transition caused the vacancy warning level of the court to change from green to yellow.

New confirmations

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Crenshaw earned his B.A. and J.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1978 and 1981, respectively. Before his nomination, Crenshaw was previously a partner at the law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. The American Bar Association rated Crenshaw Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination. Crenshaw had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 10, 2015, and was reported to the full Senate on July 9, 2015. On April 11, 2016, the Senate voted 92-0 to confirm Crenshaw's nomination. Crenshaw's confirmation caused the vacancy warning level of the court to change from yellow to green.

New nominations

United States District Court for the District of Idaho

David C. Nye was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 5, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the District of Idaho. Nye earned both his bachelor's (1982) and J.D. (1986) degrees from Brigham Young University. He is currently a district judge in Idaho's Sixth Judicial District. This court's current vacancy warning level is red.

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Beth Andrus was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 14, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Andrus earned her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Wayne State University in 1985, and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1988. She is currently a superior court judge in King County, Wash., where she serves as that court's chief civil judge. This court's current vacancy warning level is orange.

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

J. Michael Diaz was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 14, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Diaz received his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, he was a graduate student at Princeton University in classical philosophy for two years, and he earned his J.D. from Cornell University Law School in 2002. He is currently an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington where he serves as civil rights program coordinator for the U.S. Attorney's civil division. This court's current vacancy warning level is orange.

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington

Kathleen O'Sullivan was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 14, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. O'Sullivan received her bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Yale University in 1991, and she earned her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law School in 1996. She is currently a partner with the Seattle, Wash.-based law firm of Perkins Coie. This court's current vacancy warning level is orange.

Monthly map

See also

• United States federal courts
• Federal Court Vacancy Warning System