Status of Article III Judgeships - Judicial Business 2014

On September 30, 2014, a total of 50 vacancies existed among the 677 positions authorized in the U.S. district courts, 24 fewer than reported at the end of 2013. Thirteen of the vacancies had existed for more than 18 months, down from the 19 vacancies one year earlier. The majority of the vacancies arose when judges took senior status.

Nineteen judicial emergencies were identified in the courts of appeals and district courts on September 30, 2014—18 fewer than one year earlier. For the courts of appeals, which had 3 judicial emergencies, a judicial emergency is defined as any vacancy where adjusted filings (i.e., filings excluding reinstated cases and weighting pro se appeals as one-third of a case) per panel are in excess of 700, or any vacancy in existence more than 18 months where adjusted filings are between 500 to 700 per panel. For the district courts, which had 16 judicial emergencies, a judicial emergency is defined as a vacancy of any duration where weighted filings per judgeship are in excess of 600 or any vacancy longer than 18 months in a district court with weighted filings between 430 and 600 per judgeship, or any vacancy in a district court with more than one authorized judgeship and only one active judge.

In addition to active judges, 89 senior circuit judges with staff participating in appeals decisions were serving the Judiciary at the end of the fiscal year, the same as in 2013. The U.S. district courts reported 386 senior judges with staff, 40 more than had been serving one year earlier.

For information on the status of judgeship positions since 2010, see Table 11.