Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.—Gustav Mahler

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Trump-47 Judicial Vacancies and Trump-47 Judicial Nominations (UPDATED)



At the start of Trump-47, on January 20, 2025, there were 45 federal judicial vacancies—all were Article III vacancies.

There are now 60 federal judicial vacancies, including: 59 Article III positions, and one Article I position (United States District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands).

There are 874 authorized Article III federal judicial positions (including the Court of International Trade, including Article I district courts in the territories), with 60 vacancies, amounting to a circa 7% vacancy rate. 

There are currently FOUR vacancies across FOUR federal appellate courts: the First Circuit, Third Circuit, Seventh Circuit, and Ninth Circuit.

The State with the greatest number of federal judicial vacancies is Texas: TEN vacancies. As of Sept. 9, 2025, there have been no nominations to ANY of these positions. Texas voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Texas has continuously sent two Rs to the Senate. And Texas House delegation strongly leans majority Republican: circa 2-to-1. 

Rebecca Taibleson has been informally announced by the White House as a Seventh Circuit nominee, but she has not yet been officially nominated.

 

      September 9, 2025: Vacancies             Trump-47 Nominations*      Senate Confirmed

US Supreme Court --                    0                                   0                                          0

US Federal Circuit Courts --        4                                    3                                          2

US Federal District Courts --     56                                  13                                          4

US Court of Intl Trade (Art III)  1                                    0                                          0

Article I Courts --                         1                                    0                                          0

Total --                                        62                                  16                                          6


Vacancies include current and future vacancies as reported: current, <https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judicial-vacancies/current-judicial-vacancies>, and future <https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies>. 

Seth Barrett Tillman, Trump-47 Judicial Vacancies and Trump-47 Judicial Nominations,’ New Reform Club (UPDATED: Sept. 9, 2025) (Jan. 29, 2025, 3:14 AM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2025/01/trump-47-judicial-vacancies-and.html>; 

*Nominations refers to nominations awaiting Senate committee action or action before the full Senate.



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