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The Judicial Vacancy Conundrum In The Ninth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit must resolve the largest and most complicated caseload of the twelve regional appellate courts. Congress has authorized twenty-eight active judges for the circuit, while the Judicial Conference of the United States has recommended that Congress approve nine additional judgeships for the court. The Ninth Circuit currently has seven vacancies, four of which are considered "judicial emergencies" because the openings have remained unfilled for eighteen months, even as the size and complexity of the court's civil and criminal dockets continue to increase. President Bill Clinton submitted the names of nominees for …