This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for a slate of judicial nominees. The March 25 hearing featured three Article III nominees: Sheria Akins Clarke (D.S.C.), Kathleen “Katie” S. Lane (D. Mont.), and Kara Marie Westercamp (Ct. Intl. Trade). The hearing also featured an Article IV nominee, Evan Rikhye (D.V.I.).
No new nominations or vacancies have been announced, leaving the number of pending nominees at 10 and the number of current and known future vacancies at 45.
This week, the Senate confirmed Anna St. John, president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. This brings the current number of Article III confirmations under the second Trump Administration to 34. Of these 34 confirmations, 94% are white and 74% are male.
There are now 35 current Article III vacancies. Six of the District Court vacancies and one Court of International Trade vacancy have a nominee.
Earlier this week, Judge William Osteen Jr. (M.D.N.C.), a George W. Bush appointee, announced he will be taking senior status effective January 2, 2027.
There are 10 future Article III vacancies. Two District Court nominees and one Circuit Court nominee have been named by the Trump Administration to these vacancies.
This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a committee vote for President Donald Trump’s first slate of judicial nominees.
The nominees included: Whitney D. Hermandorfer (6th. Cir), Joshua M. Divine (E.D. Mo, W.D. Mo), Zachary M. Bluestone (E.D. Mo), Maria A. Lanahan (E.D. Mo), and Cristian M. Stevens (E.D. Mo).
As of June 26th, there are 60 Article III vacancies, 49 of which are current. There are now 12 pending nominees: 5 waiting for floor votes, 5 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 2 waiting for hearings.
The Senate this week confirmed Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheeks to the U.S. District Court for Southern California, and Judge Serena Murillo to the U.S. District Court for Central California, bringing the total number of Article III judges confirmed during the Biden Administration to 235.
For reference, Trump had 85 confirmations through his second year, 187 confirmations through his third year, and 234 through his fourth year.
There are 37 current and future vacancies without nominees.
Read ACS’s statement on the Biden Administration confirming 235 judges.
The Senate continued its work on judicial nominations this week, confirming four Article III nominees: Tiffany Johnson (N.D. Ga.), Keli Neary (M.D. Pa.), Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon (C.D. Cal.), and Noël Wise (N.D. Cal.).
On Thursday, Committee held an executive business meeting. At the meeting, the Committee advanced two Article III nominees to the floor: Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheeks (S.D. Cal.) and Judge Serena Murillo (C.D. Cal.) These nominees are now eligible for cloture and confirmation votes.
With these confirmations, the Biden-Harris Administration is at 233 Article III confirmations. The current administration is only one judicial confirmation short of matching the Trump’s administration’s 234 four-year total.
As of December 12th, there are 47 Article III vacancies, 35 of which are current. There are now 10 pending nominees: 5 waiting for floor votes, 1 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 4 waiting for hearings.
The Senate continued to make progress on confirmations this week, voting to confirm eight Article III nominees: Anne Hwang (C.D. Cal.), Brian Murphy (D. Mass.), Sparkle Sooknanan (D.D.C.), Catherine Henry (E.D. Pa.), Gail Weilheimer (E.D. Pa.), Anthony Brindisi (N.D.N.Y.), Elizabeth Coombe (N.D.N.Y.) and Sarah Davenport (D.N.M.).
With these confirmations, the Biden-Harris Administration is at 229 Article III confirmations. On this date during the Trump Administration, there were 229 confirmations. The current administration is only 5 short of matching the previous administration’s four-year total.
As of December 5th, there are 50 Article III vacancies, 35 of which are current. There are now 15 pending nominees: 8 waiting for floor votes, 3 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 4 waiting for hearings.