TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Growing Number of Departures Leaves Federal Court Vacancies

Posted by: Kate Prince on Feb 9, 2021

A wave of federal judges have announced their departures in recent weeks, creating a growing number of vacant seats in the federal judiciary, The Hill reports. There are currently 57 vacancies in the federal district and appellate courts and another 20 seats that will become vacant in the coming months. At least 25 of those vacancies were announced after President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Data suggests that the administration of former President Donald Trump was one of the most prolific in the modern era regarding judicial confirmations. Within four years, Trump successfully appointed 226 judges to the federal bench, including three Supreme Court justices, 54 appeals court judges and 174 district court judges, according to the Pew Research Center. He lags behind only former President Carter in terms of the total number of judicial appointments in any recent president’s first four years. President Reagan, who appointed four Supreme Court justices in eight years, is the only recent president who left a larger footprint on the high court.

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