Judicial Bench Index

Federal vacancy, nomination, and confirmation signals shaping the U.S. judicial bench, tracked as institutional pressure, not political theater.

How this works: This index reflects confirmed institutional activity and structural pressure, including federal vacancy counts and nomination actions. “Judicial Pressure,” “Backlog,” and “Pace” are modeled signals for analysis and do not predict votes, outcomes, or rulings.

Congress: 119.

Watch Last updated: 2026-05-22T14:40:22-04:00

Judicial Pressure Signal

Trend: Moving

Seats Filled

2026-05-20 Evan Rikhye, of the Virgin Islands, to be Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands for a term of ten years, vice Wilma Antoinette Lewis, term expired.

2026-05-19 Sheria Akins Clarke, of South Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina, vice Robert Bryan Harwell, retired.

2026-01-08 Alexander C. Van Hook, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, vice Elizabeth Erny Foote, retired.

2025-12-09 William J. Crain, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, vice Eldon E. Fallon, retired.

2025-12-04 Susan Courtwright Rodriguez, of North Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina, vice Frank D. Whitney, retired.

2025-12-03 Matthew E. Orso, of North Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina, vice Robert J. Conrad, Jr., retired.

2025-12-02 Lindsey Ann Freeman, of North Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina, vice Catherine C. Eagles, retired.

2025-12-02 David A. Bragdon, of North Carolina, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina, vice Loretta Copeland Biggs, retired.

2025-10-27 Rebecca L. Taibleson, of Wisconsin, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, vice Diane S. Sykes, retiring.

2021-09-21 Margaret Irene Strickland, of New Mexico, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico, vice Robert C. Brack, retired.

Bench Heat Map

Modeled from active nomination pipeline (no external links).

Other

High

Active: 5 • Vote-ready: 4 • Avg: 71d

Circuit 8

Elevated

Active: 2 • Vote-ready: 1 • Avg: 46d

Circuit 6

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 25d

Circuit 2

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 25d

Circuit 10

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 10d

Southern District of Texas

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 10d

Eastern District of Michigan

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 10d

Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 10d

Northern District of Texas

Low

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 10d

Judicial Pressure Elevated

Vacancy Pressure Low

Senate Backlog Elevated

Active Judicial Vacancies

Nominees Awaiting Vote

Avg Days Pending

Confirmation Pace (90D)

Recent Confirmations (30D): 95 Backlog Pressure: 60% Pipeline Trend: Moving

Key Nomination Events

Confirmed nominations detected in the last 30 days.

Activity Summary

Stage distribution (MVP inference)

Received 0

Referred 77

Hearing 8

Reported 0

Floor 12

Confirmed 148

Withdrawn 5

Disclaimer: This tracker is an independent editorial analysis by The Political Rift based on publicly available government data and institutional reporting, including Congress.gov nomination activity and federal judiciary vacancy reporting. It is provided for informational context only and does not constitute legal findings, official Senate outcomes, or adjudicative predictions.