Currently, there are over 100 judicial vacancies in our federal courts. The chart below details the vacancy by court. For the latest list of federal vacancies, click here to visit the official U.S. Courts site.
| Court | Vacancies | Total Judgeships |
| U.S. Court of Appeals (Circuit Court) | 1 | 179 |
| U.S. District Courts | 70 | 677 |
| U.S. Court of Federal Claims | 6 | 16 |
| U.S. Court of International Trade | 2 | 9 |
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Key:Circuit Courts are grouped by color. Click on a circuit to see nominee list and access bios. For small states and Washington DC, click the icons with 2-letter abbreviations.
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Key:Click on a state to see nominee list and access bios. For small states and Washington DC, click the icons with 2-letter abbreviations.
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The Constitution, in the Appointments Clause, requires the President:
Once a candidate has been nominated, he or she must be confirmed by the Senate, a process left by the Founders for the Senate to decide as they deem fitting. The current confirmation process has developed over time to include numerous traditions, precedents, professional courtesies, and formal rules adopted by the Senate. Learn more about the 7-Step Process. |
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Judges who become part of the federal judiciary hold immense power over the lives of Americans, hearing cases that affect religious freedom for generations. The Supreme Court takes about 70-80 cases annually, while federal courts of appeals handle about 35,000 cases per year. So while Supreme Court justice selections are especially important, circuit court and district court judges hear 99% of all federal appeals cases. President Trump, along with the Republican-controlled Senate, has a prime opportunity to nominate judges who will uphold the Constitution. As with the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, First Liberty attorneys—religious liberty experts—have been analyzing the opinions of judicial candidates related to religious freedom.
DUAL COURT SYSTEM Because the Founders wanted a union of sovereign states, the U.S. has a dual court system: the federal judiciary and the individual state judiciaries. STATE JUDICIARY Each state has its own court system to resolve disputes pertaining state law. States seat judges either through election, appointment or a combination of both election and appointment (Missouri Plan). FEDERAL JUDICIARY The federal judiciary is regulated by the Constitution. Judges on these benches make decisions on issues pertaining to federal law and interstate issues. To be appointed, an individual must be nominated by the president and consented to by the Senate. Click the graphic above for greater detail on the behind the scenes process that leads to an appointment.
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Democratic Senators Prey with Religious Tests Senators continue to use un-Constitutional religious tests. Read More |
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7 Pictures show Federal Court’s Transformation See through seven different info-graphs how America’s courts are changing. Read More |
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Is Religious Liberty Making a Comeback? Our CEO asks if the SCOTUS term will signal a comeback for religious liberty. Read More |
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5 Ways the 9th Circuit is Changing See through info-graphs five ways the Ninth Circuit is being changed. Read More |
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Three SCOTUS Cases to Keep an Eye On Read about three important religious liberty cases for this SCOTUS term. Ready More |
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Recent Nominees Mean Big Changes for the Eleventh Circuit Two recent nominees at the Eleventh Circuit could flip the court. Ready more |
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Judicial Nominees have Lasting Impact on Circuit Courts The Second and Ninth Court of Appeals are being radically changed. Read More |
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More Obstruction of Judicial Nominees than Ever Before See how we must go Back to the Constitution to save our judiciary. Read More |
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Senate Changes the Rules The U.S. Senate voted to reduce the number of hours allowed to debate on federal district court nominees. Read More |
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See First Liberty’s Own Matthew Kacsmaryk Sworn In See an insider look into yet another great judicial confirmation. Read More |
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Check out this letter to our president, Kelly Shackelford, from the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley. In addition to taking your religious freedom cases, First Liberty gets involved to ensure Constitutional originalist judges are confirmed to the bench. Our experts are always at work to keep you and our representatives up to date on pertinent analyses crucial for a well staffed bench and the preservation of liberty. |
Below are links with U.S. Senators by state. If you want to join with First Liberty, contact your U.S. Senators today and tell them to quickly confirm originalist judges to our nation’s federal judiciary.* We’ve provided you with suggested language you can use in your letter to your Senators.
*NOTE: FLI does not endorse the confirmation of Judge Halil Ozerden for the 5th Circuit Court.
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Court
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Nomination Date |
Nominees
(click for bio)
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Learn More
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| DC-CCA | 09/07/2017 11/28/2017 |  |
Gregory G. Katsas | Expert Analysis |
| DC-CCA | 11/14/2018 03/13/2019 | |
Neomi J. Rao | Expert Analysis |
The Honorable (Senator’s Name)
1234 Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator (Name),
I’m writing to you today on a matter that is important to me as your constituent, and also vital for the nation. As you know, voters elected President Trump to appoint principled judges to the Supreme Court and the federal courts of appeal and district courts.
I am pleased with the fair and timely confirmation of Justice Gorsuch and would like to see more judges confirmed in a similar manner. At the beginning of his presidency, Donald Trump faced more vacancies for federal judgeships than Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Due to more retirements and unnecessary delays in the Senate, there are now more judicial vacancies than the day President Trump was inaugurated. That is unacceptable.
There is one simple way to reform the judicial confirmation process and restore the constitutionally-mandated role of the Senate. The 30-hour debate rule should be repealed or replaced with a more reasonable limit (such as 8 hours) on debate before a vote. I support Senator Lankford’s proposal for revising the 30-hour debate rule. Please call upon Leader McConnell to change that practice immediately.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Each day these judicial vacancies aren’t filled, the backlog of cases grows. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
