Alexander Hamilton may have thought them the least dangerous branch, but we at Ballotpedia think federal courts are the most exciting!
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[Ballotpedia's Bold Justice]

Welcome to the August 5 edition of Bold Justice, Ballotpedia's newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. Starting with this issue, I'm handing the reins to Sara Reynolds, our top SCOTUS expert on staff. You'll be in good hands with her knowledge and insight of the federal court system.

Enjoy the rest of summer stress-free knowing we've got your back when it comes to news! Follow us on Twitter ([link removed]) or subscribe to the Daily Brew ([link removed]) for the most up-to-date political information.

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[We #SCOTUS so you don't have to]

The SCOTUS justices are on their summer recess. The 2019-2020 term will begin October 7. Click here ([link removed]) to read more about SCOTUS' upcoming term.

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[Court news]

The Federal Vacancy Count ([link removed]) tracks vacancies, nominations, and confirmations to all United States Article III ([link removed]) federal courts in a one-month period. This month's edition ([link removed]) includes nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from June 27 to July 31, 2019.


** HIGHLIGHTS
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* VACANCIES: There have been seven new judicial vacancies since the June 2019 report ([link removed]) . As of July 31, 114 of 870 active Article III judicial positions on courts covered in this report were vacant—a vacancy percentage of 13.1 percent.

Including the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, 123 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.

* NOMINATIONS: There have been two new nominations since the June 2019 report.

* CONFIRMATIONS: There have been 21 new confirmations since the June 2019 report. Vacancy count for July 31, 2019 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, click here.


** VACANCY COUNT FOR JULY 31, 2019
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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, click here ([link removed]) .

Vacancies by court as of July 31, 2019

Court

# of seats

Vacancies

Supreme Court ([link removed])

9

0%
0 vacancies

Appeals courts ([link removed])

179

2.2%

4 vacancies

District courts ([link removed]) (including territorial courts)*

677

15.7%

106 vacancies

International trade ([link removed])

9

44.4%

4 vacancies

*Though the United States territorial courts are named as district courts, they are not Article III courts. They are created in accordance with the power granted under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution. Click here ([link removed]) for more information.


** NEW VACANCIES
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The following judges left active status, creating Article III vacancies. As Article III judicial positions, they must be filled by a nomination from the president. Nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.

* Judge Christopher Droney ([link removed]) assumed senior status ([link removed]) on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ([link removed]) .
* Judge Joe Heaton ([link removed]) assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ([link removed]) .
* Judge Judith Herrera ([link removed]) assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico ([link removed]) .
* Judge Jack Zouhary ([link removed]) assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ([link removed]) .
* Judge Andrew Guilford ([link removed]) assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ([link removed]) .
* Judge Simeon Lake III ([link removed]) assumed senior status on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* Judge Peter Phipps ([link removed]) vacated his seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ([link removed]) after being elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ([link removed]) .


** COURTS WITH THE MOST VACANCIES
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The Central District of California ([link removed]) , the District of New Jersey ([link removed]) , and the Southern District of New York ([link removed]) have the most vacancies of the U.S. District Courts.

* The Central District of California

* Nine vacancies out of 28 total positions.
* Longest vacancy: Five years. Judge Audrey Collins took senior status in October 2012 and retired from the court on August 1, 2014.
* Most recent vacancy: One month. Judge Andrew Guilford assumed senior status on July 5, 2019. Three nominations are pending.

* The District of New Jersey

* Six vacancies out of 17 total positions.
* Longest vacancy: Four and one-half years. Judge William Martini assumed senior status on February 10, 2015.
* Most recent vacancy: Ten weeks. Judge Jose Linares retired May 16, 2019.
* No nominations are pending.

* The Southern District of New York

* Six vacancies out of 28 total positions.
* Longest vacancy: Four years. Judge Paul Crotty assumed senior status on August 1, 2015.
* Most recent vacancy: Almost 10 months. Judge Richard Sullivan was elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on October 11, 2018.

For more information on judicial vacancies during President Trump's first term, click here.


** NEW NOMINATIONS
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President Trump has announced two new nominations since the June 2019 report.

* Lee Rudofsky ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
* R. Austin Huffaker ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.

The president has announced 193 Article III judicial nominations since taking office January 20, 2017. The president named 69 judicial nominees in 2017 and 92 in 2018. For more information on the president’s judicial nominees, click here ([link removed]) .


** NEW CONFIRMATIONS
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Between June 27 and July 31, 2019, the Senate confirmed 21 of the president’s nominees to Article III courts.

* Daniel Bress ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ([link removed]) .
* T. Kent Wetherell ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ([link removed]) .
* Damon Leichty ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana ([link removed]) .
* J. Nicholas Ranjan ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ([link removed]) .
* Peter Phipps ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ([link removed]) .
* Clifton L. Corker ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee ([link removed]) .
* Wendy W. Berger ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida ([link removed]) .
* Brian Buescher ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska ([link removed]) .
* Peter Welte ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota ([link removed]) .
* Michael Liburdi ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ([link removed]) .
* Sean Jordan ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* James Wesley Hendrix ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* William Shaw Stickman ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ([link removed]) .
* Martha Pacold ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ([link removed]) .
* Mary Rowland ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ([link removed]) .
* Mark Pittman ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* Karin J. Immergut ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ([link removed]) .
* John M. Younge ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ([link removed]) .
* Jason Pulliam ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* Jeff Brown ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ([link removed]) .
* Brantley Starr ([link removed]) , confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ([link removed]) .

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[link removed]

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Since January 2017, the Senate has confirmed 144 of President Trump’s judicial nominees—99 district court judges, 43 appeals court judges, and two Supreme Court justices.

Need a daily fix of judicial nomination, confirmation, and vacancy information? Click here ([link removed]) for continuing updates on the status of all federal judicial nominees.

Or, if you prefer, we also maintain a list of individuals ([link removed]) President Trump has nominated.
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[Looking ahead]

We'll be back September 9 with a new edition of Bold Justice.

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