The Enlightenment

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Welcome to The Judiciary at Noon! Take a break from work to get an update on the oft-neglected third branch of the United States government, the judicial branch.

The series covers any updates to the federal judiciary, including any new judges confirmed, any deaths, resignations, or retirements from the courts, and any new vacancies that have occurred. It includes political analysis at the very end. All information spans the previous week.

Confirmations

May 1, 2024: Georgia Nick Alexakis was confirmed to the Northern District of Illinois, centered around Chicago.

Vacancies

• Apr. 30, 2024: Judge James Kelleher Bredar of the District of Maryland assumed senior status.
• Apr. 30, 2024: Judge Robert Bryan Harwell of the District of South Carolina announced his intention to assume senior status on June 6th, 2024.
• May 1, 2024: Judge Dale Susan Fischer of the Central District of California assumed senior status.

73 vacancies remain on the federal judiciary, a number unchanged from a week ago.

Retirements, Deaths, and Resignations

• Apr. 30, 2024: Senior Judge Diane Pamela Wood, a Bill Clinton Appointee, retires from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

• May 1, 2024: Senior Judge Larry Alan Burns, a George W. Bush appointee, retires from the District Court of the Southern District of California.

Other

• May 1, 2024: Judge George Levi Russell III, an Obama appointee, becomes the Chief Judge of the District of Maryland, succeeding Obama appointee Judge James Kelleher Bredar.

Analysis

Big rumblings in May. In addition to the inauguration of a new Chief Judge, multiple judges have taken senior status this week. Two more judges have announced vacancies in May, including one slated for the 6th of May in a few days.

The announcement of a vacancy in South Carolina piqued my interest. This court is one of the more moderate courts in the Deep South, and if Biden manages to fill this vacancy, the Court will almost be a split one with 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats.

Compared to March, April ended in a whimper. Just four judges were confirmed last month, compared to eight in March, though President Biden and the Senate Judiciary Committee have been aggressive in nominating and approving new nominees.

Based on the previous actions of the Senate, I was certain they would have confirmed at least one, maybe two more judges this week. I was wrong. The reason for the Senate’s hesitancy may be worrying news for Democrats.

On the one hand, the Senate spent a lot of time on legislation this month. Was that the reason? Or is it that Senate Democratic leadership is not confident that most of Biden’s nominees will pass the muster of the Senate, as I have hypothesized in previous JAN entries?

If it’s the latter reason (and I suspect it is), then Democrats have a tough road ahead as they try to match former President Trump’s 234 appointed judges.

SIGN-OFF

That’s it for this week’s The Judiciary at Noon. This has been Anthony Myrlados. I’ll see you next noon and until then I wish you all an enjoyable weekend.