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The Federal Vacancy Count 7/27/2016
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July 27, 2016
By Kevin Eirich
This month's Federal Vacancy Count includes nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from June 30, 2016, to July 26, 2016. Nominations, confirmations, and vacancies occurring on July 27, 2016, will be reflected in the August 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 one new vacancy was announced and one nominee was confirmed. The total vacancy percentage was 9.55 percent, and the number of vacancies was 93 out of 973 positions. There were no new nominations since the June 2016 update. The total number of nominees waiting for confirmation is 60 (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 | 5.5% or 10 vacancies |
| District Courts | 677 | 10.3% or 70 vacancies |
| International Trade | 9 | 33.3% or 3 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 | 1.6% or 1 vacancy |
| All Judges | 973 | 9.55% or 93 vacancies |
- Judge Gary Katzmann was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the United States Court of International Trade on June 6, 2016, but has not yet obtained his commission per the Federal Judicial Center as of July 26, 2016, so we continue to list his seat as vacant.[1]
New vacancies
United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
| Julio Fuentes is a federal judge on senior status with the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Fuentes graduated from Southern Illinois University with his bachelor's degree in 1971, from New York University with a master's degree in 1972, and from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School with his J.D. in 1975. Fuentes earned a second master's degree from Rutgers University in 1993. Fuentes was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit by President Bill Clinton on March 8, 1999, to a seat vacated by Robert Cowen, as Cowen assumed senior status. The American Bar Association rated Fuentes Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Not Qualified with two abstentions.[2] Hearings on Fuentes' nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on February 22, 2000, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on March 2, 2000. Fuentes was confirmed on a recorded 93-0 vote of the U.S. Senate on March 7, 2000, and he received his commission on March 9, 2000. Fuentes assumed senior status on July 18, 2016. The current vacancy warning level of this court is yellow.[3] [4] | 
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New confirmations
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
| Brian R. Martinotti is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. A native of Englewood, New Jersey, Martinotti earned a B.S. from Fordham University in 1983, and a J.D. from Seton Hall University in 1986. Martinotti was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President Barack Obama on June 11, 2015. The American Bar Association rated Martinotti Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[5] Hearings on Martinotti's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 30, 2015, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on October 29, 2015. Martinotti was confirmed on a recorded 92-5 vote of the U.S. Senate on July 6, 2016, and he received his commission on July 11, 2016. The current vacancy warning level of this court is yellow.[6][7][8] |
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Monthly map
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 106th Congress," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 126 - Julio M. Fuentes - The Judiciary," accessed July 14, 2016
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 114th Congress," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ New Jersey Courts, "Judges' biographies," archived May 7, 2014
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 575 - Brian R. Martinotti - The Judiciary," accessed July 11, 2016
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