Today the Senate returns from its August recess, and is expected to promptly return to the work of confirming President Trump’s judicial nominees.
First up will be six pending district court nominees currently awaiting confirmation votes. Before the recess, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture motions to end debate on their nomination; confirmation votes for the six are expected soon after Senate business resumes.
Over the recess, President Trump announced the nomination of seventeen new judicial nominees, including three circuit court nominees — Steven Menashi and William Nardini to the Second Circuit, and Danielle Hunsaker to the Ninth Circuit. (Because these nominations have not been formally received by the Senate yet, they are not reflected in the figures below.)
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a nominations hearing. As of this writing, the slate has not been noticed.
Here is a full update on the status of President Trump’s federal judicial nominations:
Current and known future vacancies: 124
Courts of Appeals: 5
District/Specialty Courts*: 119
Pending nominees for current and known future vacancies: 40
Courts of Appeals: 1
District/Specialty Courts*: 39
* Includes the Court of Federal Claims and the International Trade Court
Court of Appeals Nominees Awaiting Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings
| Nominee (Circuit) | Original Nomination
Date |
Days Since Original Nomination | Both Blue Slips Returned? | Judiciary Committee Hearing Date |
| None |
Court of Appeals Nominees Awaiting Senate Judiciary Committee Votes
| Nominee (Circuit) | Original Nomination Date | Days Since Original Nomination | Judiciary Committee Hearing Date |
| Halil Suleyman “Sul” Ozerden | 6/24/19 | 77 | 7/17/19 |
Court of Appeals Nominees Awaiting Senate Floor Votes
| Nominee (Circuit) | Nomination Date | Days Since Original Nomination | Date Reported to Senate Floor |
| None |
Nominees Awaiting Floor Votes: 26
Courts of Appeals: 1
District/Specialty Courts: 25
Days Pending
- # of pending nominees originally nominated > 500 days ago: 1
- # of pending nominees originally nominated > 400 days ago: 10
- # of pending nominees originally nominated > 300 days ago: 17
Nominees Confirmed by the Senate during the 116th Congress: 63
Supreme Court: 0
Courts of Appeals: 13
District/Specialty Courts: 50
Nominees Confirmed by the Senate since Inauguration Day: 148
Supreme Court: 2
Courts of Appeals: 43
District/Specialty Courts: 103