The Federal Vacancy Count 5/25/2016

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

May 25, 2016

By Kevin Eirich

This month's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from April 27, 2016, to May 24, 2016. Nominations, confirmations, and vacancies occurring on May 25, 2016, will be reflected in the June 2016 report.

As of May 2016, Ballotpedia's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominees to the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 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, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, or the D.C. Superior Court at this time.

The vacancy warning level remained at blue this month after three new vacancies were announced and one nominee was confirmed. The total vacancy percentage was 9.35 percent, and the number of vacancies was 91 out of 973 positions. There were eight new nominations since the April 2016 update, bringing the total number of nominees waiting for confirmation to 66 (including Federal Claims Court, Tax Court, Armed Forces, 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	9.9% or 67 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
Armed Forces	5	0% or 0 vacancies
D.C. Superior Court	62	3.2% or 2 vacancies
All Judges	973	9.35% or 91 vacancies

New vacancies

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

Jorge Solis was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Solis earned his bachelor's degree from McMurry College in 1973, and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1976. On the recommendation of Texas U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, Solis was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas by President George H.W. Bush on June 19, 1991, to a seat vacated by Robert Porter. Solis was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 12, 1991, on a Senate vote and received his commission on September 16, 1991. Judge Solis retired from the bench on May 1, 2016. President Obama nominated James Wesley Hendrix to fill this vacancy on March 15, 2016. The vacancy warning level of this court is yellow.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Gregory Frost was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Frost earned his bachelor's degree from Wittenberg University in 1971, and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University Law School in 1974. On the recommendation of Senators Mike DeWine and George Vonovich, Frost was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 7, 2003, to a seat vacated by George Smith. Frost was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a senate vote on March 10, 2003, and received his commission on March 11, 2003. Judge Frost retired from the bench on May 2, 2016. Frost's retirement caused the vacancy warning level of this court to change from green to blue.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Rosemary Collyer is a federal judge on senior status on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She is also the current presiding judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, having assumed that role on May 18, 2016. Collyer earned her bachelor's degree from Trinity College in 1968, and her J.D. in 1977 from the University of Denver College of Law. Collyer was nominated by President George W. Bush on August 1, 2002, to a seat vacated by Judge Thomas Jackson. Collyer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 14, 2002, and received her commission on November 15, 2002. Collyer assumed senior status on the district court on May 18, 2016. The vacancy warning level of this court is yellow.

New confirmations

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

Paula Xinis is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Xinis earned her bachelor's from the University of Virginia in 1991, and her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1997. Prior to her confirmation, Xinis was a partner with the law firm of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy. The American Bar Association rated Xinis Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for Xinis on July 22, 2015. She was reported to the full U.S. Senate on September 17, 2015. On May 16, 2016, Xinis was confirmed by the full Senate on a vote of 53-34. Eleven senators did not vote on her confirmation. Her confirmation caused the vacancy warning level for this court to change from yellow to blue.

New nominations

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

Regina Rodriguez was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Rodriguez received her undergraduate degree, with honors, from the University of Iowa in 1985, and her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1988. Currently, she is a partner in the Denver, Colo.-based office of Hogan Lovells US LLP. From 2002-2016, she was an associate and, later, a partner with Faegre & Benson LLP (now Faegre Baker Daniels LLP). This court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Todd E. Edelman was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Edelman received his B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1990, and his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1994. Currently, he is an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The District Court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Florence Pan was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She received her undergraduate degrees, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988, and her J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 1993. Currently, she is an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The District Court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

Patricia D. Barksdale was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1993. She earned her J.D., Order of the Coif with high honors, from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law in 1996. Currently, she is a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She has served on that court since her appointment on November 1, 2013. The court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

William Jung was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He earned his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1980. He earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1983. Currently, he is a partner at the Tampa, Fla.-based law firm of Jung and Sisco, P.A. (formerly Black & Jung, P.A.). He co-founded the firm in 1993. This court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

Philip Lammens was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He received his bachelor's degree with high honors, and his J.D., Order of the Coif with high honors, from the University of Florida. Currently, he is a federal magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. This court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the District of Nevada

Anne Traum was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. She received her undergraduate degree, with honors, from Brown University in 1991, and her J.D., Order of the Coif with honors, from the University of California Hastings School of Law in 1996. Currently, she is a professor of law at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law. She is also special counsel in the Office of Access to Justice of the United States Department of Justice. This court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

Patricia Timmons-Goodson was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 28, 2016, to a position on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. She received her bachelor's from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1976, and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1979. She earned a L.L.M. degree from Duke University School of Law in 2014. Currently, she is the vice chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Prior to her service on the commission, she was an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. This court's current vacancy warning level is yellow.

Monthly map

See also

• United States federal courts
• Federal Court Vacancy Warning System