Welcome to the March 9 edition of Bold Justice, Ballotpedia's newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S.
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[Ballotpedia's Bold Justice]

Welcome to the March 9 edition of Bold Justice, Ballotpedia's newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. Lost track of the judiciary over Super Tuesday? We've got you covered! Catch up on the latest news by following us on Twitter ([link removed]) or subscribing to the Daily Brew ([link removed]) .

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[We #SCOTUS so you don't have to]
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** ARGUMENTS
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The Supreme Court justices will not hear arguments this week. The court will next hear arguments on March 23. Click here ([link removed]) to read more about SCOTUS' current term.

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** OPINIONS
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SCOTUS has ruled on one case since our March 2 issue. The court has issued rulings in 12 cases so far this term.

Click the links below to read more about the specific case SCOTUS ruled on since March 2:

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MARCH 3

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_Kansas v. Garcia ([link removed]) _ was argued before the court on October 16, 2019.

THE CASE: Ramiro Garcia, Donaldo Morales, and Guadalupe Ochoa-Lara were convicted of identity theft in Johnson County, Kansas. In each case, prosecutors used Social Security numbers found on I-9 and W-4 employment forms as evidence of identity theft. Garcia, Morales, and Ochoa-Lara appealed their convictions, arguing the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) preempted their prosecution. On appeal, the Kansas Supreme Court reversed the three convictions.

THE OUTCOME: In a 5-4 opinion, the court reversed and remanded the Kansas Supreme Court's decision, holding the Kansas statutes under which Garcia, Morales, and Ochoa-Lara were convicted "are not expressly preempted."

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a concurring opinion, in which Justice Neil Gorsuch joined. Justice Stephen Breyer filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, in which Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan joined.

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** UPCOMING SCOTUS DATES
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Here are the court’s upcoming dates of interest in March:

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MARCH 9: 

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SCOTUS will release orders and/or opinions.

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MARCH 20: SCOTUS will conference. A conference is a private meeting of the justices.

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MARCH 23:

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SCOTUS will release orders and/or opinions.

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SCOTUS will hear arguments in two cases.

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MARCH 24: SCOTUS will hear arguments in two cases.

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MARCH 25: SCOTUS will hear arguments in two cases.

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MARCH 27: SCOTUS will conference.

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** [link removed]
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** THE FEDERAL VACANCY COUNT
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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 February 4 to March 2.

 
** HIGHLIGHTS
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VACANCIES: There has been one new judicial vacancy since the January 2020 report ([link removed]) . As of March 3, 72 (or 8.3%) of 870 active Article III judicial positions on the courts covered in this report were vacant.

Including the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, 78 of 890 active federal judicial positions are vacant.

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NOMINATIONS: There have been 10 new nominations since the January 2020 report.

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CONFIRMATIONS: There have been six new confirmations since the January 2020 report.

 
** VACANCY COUNT FOR MARCH 2, 2020
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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]) .

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*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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One judge left active status, creating an Article III vacancy. As an Article III judicial position, this vacancy must be filled by a presidential nomination. Nominations are subject to Senate confirmation.

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Judge Andrew Brasher ([link removed]) left his seat on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ([link removed]) after he was elevated to the U.S Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ([link removed]) .

The following chart tracks the number of vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals ([link removed]) from the inauguration of President Donald Trump ([link removed]) (R) to March 2.

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** U.S. COURT OF APPEALS VACANCY
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Judge E. Grady Jolly ([link removed]) assumed senior status on October 3, 2017, creating a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. This is currently the only vacancy on a U.S. Court of Appeal. The last time this occurred was in July 1984 ([link removed]) , when Judge John Butzner ([link removed]) 's seat on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals was the only vacancy. There is currently no nominee pending to replace Jolly.

As of publication, there are two upcoming Court of Appeals vacancies. Andrew Brasher was already confirmed to succeed Judge Ed Carnes ([link removed]) on the 11th Circuit. Carnes is expected to assume senior status on June 30. Judge Thomas Griffith ([link removed]) announced he would retire from the court on September 1. There is no nominee pending for Griffith's seat.

 
** U.S. DISTRICT COURT VACANCIES
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The following map displays federal district court vacancies as of March 2.

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** NEW NOMINATIONS
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President Trump has announced 10 new nominations since the January 2020 report.

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David Dugan ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

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Iain D. Johnston ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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Franklin U. Valderrama ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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Christy Wiegand ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

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Saritha Komatireddy ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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Jennifer Rearden ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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J. Philip Calabrese ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

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James Knepp II ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

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Brett H. Ludwig ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

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Michael J. Newman ([link removed]) , to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

The president has announced 249 Article III judicial nominations since taking office January 20, 2017. The president named 69 judicial nominees in 2017, 92 in 2018, and 77 in 2019. For more information on the president’s judicial nominees, click here ([link removed]) .

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** NEW CONFIRMATIONS
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Between February 4 and March 2, 2020, the Senate confirmed six of the president’s nominees to Article III courts.

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Andrew Brasher ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ([link removed]) .

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Matthew Schelp ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ([link removed]) .

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Joshua Kindred ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska ([link removed]) .

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John Kness ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ([link removed]) .

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Philip Halpern ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ([link removed]) .

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Silvia Carreno-Coll ([link removed]) , confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico ([link removed]) .

Since January 2017, the Senate has confirmed 193 of President Trump’s judicial nominees—138 district court judges, 51 appeals court judges, two Court of International Trade 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]

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We'll be back March 23 with a new edition of_ Bold Justice. _

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