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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
1/20
Federal Judicial Vacancies:
Te rial Courts
By Alicia Bannon
Brennan Center for Justiceat New York University School of Law
ANALYSIS
7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
2/20
ABOUT THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE
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ABOUT THE BRENNAN CENTERS DEMOCRACY PROGRAM
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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ACkNOwlEDGEMENTS
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alicia Bannon B C D P, j
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B C J P, - j . P j B C, M. B J J. G F P
I C L G P.C. N, N.J.,
N J . M. B Aj P S
H L S, P R L E.
M. B J.D. Y L S 7, C E Y L
J S D L I H R C. S q
H K M. W S D N Y H S S
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Analsis 2
I. District Court Vacancies Are at Historicall Unsustainable Levels 2
II. District Court Workloads Are Reaching New Heights 5
III. Judicial Emergencies Hit Record High 7
Conclusion 8
Endnotes 9
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 1
IntroductIon
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Breaking with historical patterns, district court vacancies have remained high throughout Barack
Obamas presidency. D ,
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since 1992, the average number o district court vacancies has been greater than 60 or fve straight
years, rom 2009-2013.
Together, high vacancy levels and heavy caseloads are leaving sitting judges with unprecedented
workloads. C - j - j,
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Vacancies are hurting districts with the greatest needs. J ,
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2 | Brennan center For Justice
ANALySIS
I. District Court Vacancies Are at Historicall Unsustainable Levels
Figure 1
93
99
71
4947
69
53
42
47
69
56
31
23
3033 35
31
61
84
75
6366
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
The Emptying Bench4
Annual Average District Court Vacancies 1992-2013
AverageJudicialVacancies
74 new seats (1990)
19 new seats (1999-2000)
15 new seats (2003)
T U S D C 99-3. T
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 3
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Figure 2
The Vacancy Gap6
Total Vacancies By Month in Office
Months in Office
um
ero
acancies
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan.
2001-2005
2009-2013
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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4 | Brennan center For Justice
S 9.
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Figure 3
Declining Numbers14
Average Number of District Court Judges (Active and Part-Time Senior)
Year
AverageNum
berofJudges
750
770
790
810
830
860
760
780
800
830
850
2003-2008
802
2009-2012
852
778
Additional JudgesIf Vacancies Filled
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 5
II. District Court Workloads Are Reaching New Heights
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Figure 4
Fewer Judges, More Work16
Average Number of Pending Cases Per Sitting Judge
1992-2012
Year
300
350
400
450
500
550
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Pending Cases Per Judge
Pending Cases With Vacancies Filled
Pending Cases With New Judgeships Added
A F , j - 9
99-7. A j 99 388
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7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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6 | Brennan center For Justice
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Figure 5
No New Judgeships Since 2003
Additional Judgeships Authorized B Congress Since 1960
Permanent Judgeships Added Temporar Judgeships Added
Temporar Judgeships
Converted to Permanent
1961 6 4
1966 3 5
1970 58 3 4
1978 3 4
1984 53 8
1990 6 3 8
1999 9
2000
2002 (took efect in 2003) 8 7 4
Authorized Judgeships in 1960:4 , 4
Authorized Judgeships in 2012:667 ,
last majorincrease
most recentincrease
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 7
I understate j. A
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III. Judicial Emergencies Hit Record High
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Figure 6
Code Red24
Annual Average Number of Vacancies Declared Judicial Emergencies
2002-2013
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
18
12
11
8
109
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13
3030
27
25
7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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8 | Brennan center For Justice
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CONCLUSION
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 9
A O U S C, A III V A J , 3, ://.
./JAJ/JV.x ( J , 3).
Id.;A O U S C, J C L, ://..
/JAJ/JV/CL.x ( J , 3).
3 A O U S C, F V F J, ://.
./JAJ/JV/FJV.x ( J , 3).
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JAJ/JV/AOJV.x/ ( J , 3) (
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5 V 6-8 , 6-7
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9-3.
6 SeeA O U S C, supra 4 ( j ). D
, N O
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7 SeeRussell Wheeler, Brookings Institution, Judicial Nominations and Confirmations after
hree Years Where Do hings Stand? 2 (2012), available at://../~//
/////3%%/3__..
8 SeeBarryJ. McMillion, Congressional Research Service, President Obamas First-erm U.S.Circuit and District Court Nominations: An Analysis and Comparison with Presidents Since
Reagan (3) (P O
, j P R R).
9 See Id. 4-5 (P O
).
SeeAlliance for Justice, he State of the Judiciary: Judicial Selection At the Beginning of
President Obamas Second erm (3), available at://../j-/--
-j--3..
EndnotES
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10 | Brennan center For Justice
SeeA J, J V W N (J 3, 3), available at://..
/j-/j---. ( J , 3).
SeeH. F B, Senior Status: An Active Senior Judge Corrects Some Common Misunderstandings,
9 Cornell L. Rev. 533, 54 (7) ( j x 5 j , ); S B. B ., Leaving the Bench,
1970-2009: Te Choices Federal Judges Make, What Infuences Tose Choices, And Teir Consequences, 6 U.
Pa. L. Rev. , 9 () ( j x 63
j ). T A j - j;
j 6 j.
3 N, , j, j -
- , , 583 3 64 ( -
- j, j ). SeeAdministrative Office Of
he United States Courts, Judicial Business Of he United States Courts (997 ), .U.S. M J P Az J C, available at://..
/S/JB/.x. A , j
q - j ;
. T j
j, , j
j and
j .
4 Administrative Office of the United States Courts, supra 3, . S A III J
P. Y S 3. j j
j -.
5 T J C 65
j. See J C J R (M. 3), available at ://.
.//JJ//j-..
6 G j ( -
j). D j Administrative Office of the United States
Courts, supra 3, . S A III J P. D A
O U S C, F C M S (997 ), available at
://../S/FCMS/FCMS_
A.x. Y S 3. C .
7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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Federal Judicial Vacancies: the trial courts | 11
7 A j , 486 99 64 (
- - j, j ),
-j j q - j. See
Administrative Office of the United States Courts, supra 3, . U.S. M J P
Az J C. C .
8 SeeA O U S C, F C M S (997
), supra 6; Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Judicial Business of the
United States Courts: District Court Summary(), available at://../S/
JB//--.x; Administrative Office of the United States Courts,
Judicial Business of the United States Courts Summary7 (), available at://..
//S/JB//JB_S.; Administrative Office
of the United States Courts, Judicial Business of the United States Courts (), available at
://..//S/JB//JB..
9 W A O U S C
x q.
SeeA O U S C, F C M S, Ex
S (S. ), ://../.x=//S/
FCMS//x-----.. D
, 999 .
, 4 - .
A O U S C, U.S. D C: A Az J,
://../JAJ/V.x=//JJ//-
j. ( J 9, 3).
A O U S C, F C M S (S. ), available
at://../S/FCMS/---.x.
D j x 6
j, x 8 43
6 j, z j j.
SeeA O U S C, J E, ://../
JAJ/JV/JE.x ( J 4, 3).
3 T j ,
j j. SeeRussell Wheeler & Sarah Binder,
Brookings Institution, Do Judicial Emergencies Matter? Nomination and Confirmation Delay
7/28/2019 Judicial Vacancies - Trial Courts in Trouble
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12 | Brennan center For Justice
During the 111th Congress 2 (2011), available at ://../~////
///6%j%%%/6_j__
_.. N,
.
4 SeeA O U S C, supra 4 ( j ).
3 J , 3. C j
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5 J . J
33 -8 35
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