Carter appointee is longest-serving federal judge

Here’s a poorly-kept secret—we love analyzing data. At Ballotpedia, we like nothing more than rolling up our sleeves and finding the interesting facts in sets of political or government data. Recently, we asked one of our researchers to explore federal judicial data as part of our regular tracking of judicial nominations. 

With help from the database of the Federal Judicial Center, we looked at all 1,403 living Article III judges —829 who are active and 574 who are on senior status. The longest-serving active judge—Carmen Cerezo—was appointed by Jimmy Carter (D) in 1980. Cerezo serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. 

Some additional data points of interest:

• 117 of 829 active Article III federal judges—14%—were appointed before 2000:
  • 16 by Ronald Reagan (R)
  • 13 by George H.W. Bush (R)
  • 88 by Bill Clinton (D)

• The three most recent presidents appointed 86% of active federal judges:
  • 163 by George W. Bush (R)
  • 316 by Barack Obama (D)
  • 232 by Donald Trump (R)

The president appoints Article III judges to lifetime terms on the bench. Senate confirmation is required for all appointees. These judges serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals, the United States District Courts, and the Court of International Trade. Federal judges on senior status are semi-retired. They continue to serve on federal courts while hearing a reduced number of cases.

The longest-serving Article III judge on senior status—Jack Bertrand Weinstein—was appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 1967. Weinstein is a Lyndon Johnson (D) appointee. He assumed senior status on that court on Mar. 1, 1993. There are seven federal judges on senior status appointed by Richard Nixon (R) and five senior status judges appointed by Gerald Ford (R).

This data includes current federal judges and does not reflect the total number of judges appointed by each president.

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Federal government changes coronavirus vaccine distribution guidelines

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Alex Azar announced on Jan. 12 that the federal government was changing its coronavirus vaccine distribution guidelines. HHS is recommending states expand the pool of eligible recipients to include everyone 65 and older, including people with underlying health conditions. Previously, the CDC recommended frontline essential workers and individuals over the age of 75 should be next in line for the vaccine after healthcare workers and long-term care residents.

Azar also said the federal government would begin shipping second doses to states instead of holding them in reserve. He said states would receive vaccines based on the population of people age 65 and older and how quickly states can administer vaccines. 

Our Documenting America’s Path to Recovery daily email newsletter has been tracking states’ vaccine distribution plans and changes to those plans. Here are a few recent news stories on those developments:

• Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) announced the state is starting its next phase of vaccine distribution. Little said teachers, school staff, and first responders would be prioritized between Jan. 13-31. Individuals age 65 and older will be able to receive the vaccine starting Feb. 1.
• Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) announced on Jan. 13 that people age 70 and older can now register to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Previously, vaccines were reserved for those 80 and older.
• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced on Jan. 12 that Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, would serve as the state’s first mass vaccination site. The site is currently equipped to administer up to 300 vaccines a day to first responders. Baker said that number will increase to 5,000 per day as more individuals become eligible.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) expanded Phase 1b of the state’s vaccination plan to include individuals age 65 and older and immunocompromised individuals. Previously, only individuals 75 and older were eligible.

If you want to dig a lot deeper, click here for our page showing coronavirus vaccine resources in your state. This includes links to state distribution plans, vaccination data, homepages for each state’s health department, and state-maintained lists of frequently asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine. And to stay informed, subscribe to Documenting America’s Path to Recovery and receive the latest info in your inbox each day.

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Trivia: Which state had the most state legislative seats change parties on Nov. 3?

Yesterday’s Brew highlighted the 315 state legislative seats that switched parties as a result of the Nov. 3 elections. Of those, 215 went from Democratic to Republican, and 78 switched from Republican to Democrat. 

We also discussed which state had the most seats which changed party control, which seems like a good topic for our first trivia question of 2021. Without looking back at yesterday’s newsletter, can you remember which state had the most state legislative seats change parties on Nov. 3?

>   A. GEORGIA

>   B. NEW HAMPSHIRE

>   C. PENNSYLVANIA

>   D. WEST VIRGINIA