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Status of Bankruptcy Judgeships — Judicial Business 2019

As of September 30, 2019, a total of 347 bankruptcy judgeships were authorized and funded, 3 fewer than a year earlier due to the lapse of some temporary judgeships. Of these judgeships, 316 were filled and 31 were vacant (compared with 321 filled positions and 29 vacant positions on the same date in 2018). In addition to judges in authorized positions, 28 retired bankruptcy judges who had been recalled by various circuit councils were providing service to the Judiciary at the end of 2019.

For information on the status of bankruptcy judgeships since 2015, see Table 12.

Table 12
Status of Bankruptcy Judgeship Positions
September 30, 2015 - 2019
Year Authorized Judgeships Vacancies Recalled Judges
2015 349 19 44
2016 349 17 33
2017 349 22 26
2018 3501 29 29
2019 347 31 28
1 For 2018, Congress authorized four new temporary bankruptcy judgeships: two in the District of Delaware and one each in the Middle District of Florida and the Eastern District of Michigan (see Bankruptcy Judgeships Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-72, § 1003). Also, in 2018 two temporary bankruptcy judgeships in the Central District of California and one temporary bankruptcy judgeship in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania lapsed.