Current federal judicial vacancies
According to U.S. Courts, there are 50 current Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary of 870 total Article III judgeships. Including non-Article III judges from the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, there are 51 vacancies out of 890 active federal judicial positions.[1]
Article III judges serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. They are appointed for life terms. A vacancy occurs when a judge resigns, retires, takes senior status, or passes away. In the event of a scheduled upcoming vacancy, the president may submit a nomination to the U.S. Senate prior to the vacancy taking effect.
There are five key steps in the vacancy process: a presidential nomination, a U.S. Senate committee hearing, a vote by a U.S. Senate committee to report the nominee to the full Senate, a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate, and a confirmed nominee taking their judicial oath and receiving their judicial commission.
Current map
The map below details the percentage of vacant seats in each federal district court. This map is updated on the second business day of each month. Ballotpedia considers a vacancy to be filled once the confirmed nominee has received commission.
Note: this map is auto-generated. Due to rounding, a section may be colored differently than the legend indicates. Click here to see the specific percentage for each court.
Current vacancies
The tables below detail the current vacancies within the federal courts system along with the percentage of seats vacant by court. Ballotpedia considers a vacancy to be filled once the confirmed nominee has received commission. The colors in each row are based on the percentage of vacant seats. The colors correlate as follows:
- Green indicates there are no vacancies on a specific court.
- Blue indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 1 to 9 percent.
- Yellow indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 10 to 24 percent.
- Orange indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is 25 to 40 percent.
- Red indicates that the percentage of vacant seats is above 40 percent.
Note: A district's coloration is based on its percentage of vacant seats. A district may be a different color than the legend would indicate if its percentage is being rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Pending nominations
Three key steps in the vacancy process that Ballotpedia covers are a U.S. Senate committee hearing, a vote by a U.S. Senate committee, and a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate. The tables below list nominees at each of those three steps in the process.
Note: The sections below include the president's Article III and non-Article III judicial nominees.[2]
Waiting for committee hearing
The nominees in this table are awaiting hearing in a U.S. Senate committee.
Number of nominees awaiting hearing: 13
| Nominee | Court | First nomination |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Tydingco-Gatewood | United States District Court of Guam | |
| John Guard | United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | June 16, 2025 |
| Jennifer Mascott | United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | |
| Harold Mooty | United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama | |
| Robert Chamberlin | United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | |
| Jimmy Maxwell | United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | |
| Bill Lewis | United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama | August 12, 2025 |
| Edmund LaCour | United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama | August 12, 2025 |
| Rebecca Taibleson | United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit | |
| Lindsey Freeman | United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina | |
| David Bragdon | United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina | |
| Matthew Orso | United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina | |
| Susan Rodriguez | United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
Waiting for committee vote
The nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the appropriate U.S. Senate committee following the hearing.
Number of nominees awaiting a vote: 4
| Nominee | Court | First nomination | Committee hearing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua D. Dunlap | United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit | July 15, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
| Bill Mercer | United States District Court for the District of Montana | July 15, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
| Chad Meredith | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky | June 23, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
| Eric Tung | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | July 15, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
Waiting for vote in Senate
Nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the full United States Senate following committee consideration.
Number of nominees awaiting a Senate vote: 16
| Nominee | Court | First nomination | Committee vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Truong | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Carmen Iguina González | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Rahkel Bouchet | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | March 21, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Ray McKenzie (Washington D.C.) | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Sherri Beatty-Arthur | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Kenechukwu Okocha | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | June 8, 2023 (first), January 3, 2024 (second) | September 12, 2023 (first), January 31, 2024 (second) |
| James Lake | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | July 31, 2024 | November 20, 2024 |
| Erin Johnston | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | November 27, 2023 | July 31, 2024 |
| Joseph Palmore | District of Columbia Court of Appeals | April 18, 2024 | July 31, 2024 |
| Nicholas Miranda | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | July 31, 2024 | November 20, 2024 |
| Maria Lanahan | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri | May 12, 2025 | June 26, 2025 |
| Jordan Pratt | United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | June 16, 2025 | July 17, 2025 |
| Edward O’Connell | Superior Court of the District of Columbia | May 12, 2025 | July 30, 2025 |
| Edward Artau | United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida | June 16, 2025 | July 17, 2025 |
| Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe | United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | June 16, 2025 | July 17, 2025 |
| Kyle Dudek | United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | June 16, 2025 | July 17, 2025 |
Federal vacancies over time
The chart below shows federal court vacancies from April 2011 to the present.
See also
- The Trump administration on federal courts
- Judicial vacancies during the Trump administration
- United States federal courts
- Judicial vacancies during Trump's first term
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. Courts - Current Judicial Vacancies
- U.S. Courts - Future Judicial Vacancies
- U.S. Courts - Archive of Judicial Vacancies (1981-present)
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Courts, "Current Judicial Vacancies," accessed October 15, 2024
- ↑ Nominees to Article I tribunals, the United States territorial courts, or to courts with general jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Unlike Article III judges, these judges do not serve for life.
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