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: 2026-08-21T17:59:00-04:00

Judicial Pressure Signal

Trend: Moving

Seats Filled

164

2026-08-07 Christopher Michael De Bono, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Heidi M. Pasichow, retired.

2026-08-07 Sharon E. Goodie, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Anthony C. Epstein, retired.

2026-08-07 Michael Christopher DiLorenzo, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, Craig S. Iscoe, retired.

2026-08-07 Craig Edward Leen, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Kimberley Sherri Knowles, retired.

2026-08-07 Don Richard Berthiaume, Jr., of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Justice, vice Michael E. Horowitz.

2026-08-07 Christine Michelle Macey, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice William Ward Nooter, retired.

2026-08-07 John Barlow Timmer, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years, vice Robert E. Morin, retired.

2026-08-07 Stuart Gordon Nash, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals for the term of fifteen years, vice Loren L. AliKhan.

2026-08-07 James Andrew Crowell IV, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals for the term of fifteen years, vice Kathryn A. Oberly, retired.

Bench Heat Map

Modeled from active nomination pipeline (no external links).

Southern District of Ohio

Watch

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 1 • Avg: 67d

Circuit 5

Watch

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 38d

Northern District of Alabama

Watch

Active: 1 • Vote-ready: 0 • Avg: 38d

Judicial Pressure Elevated

Vacancy Pressure Low

Senate Backlog Elevated

Active Judicial Vacancies

Nominees Awaiting Vote

Avg Days Pending

Confirmation Pace (90D)

164

Recent Confirmations (30D): 164 Backlog Pressure: 65% Pipeline Trend: Moving

Key Nomination Events

Confirmed nominations detected in the last 30 days.

Activity Summary

Stage distribution (MVP inference)

Received 0

Referred 62

Hearing 11

Reported 0

Floor 13

Confirmed 164

Withdrawn 0

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.