On The Bench: Week April 6, 2023

In large part due to ongoing attendance issues, the Senate has made limited progress on judicial nominations in recent weeks, with only three confirmations since March 16. As of April 6, there are still 18 Article III nominees pending on the Senate floor, waiting for cloture and confirmation votes.

With the Senate on recess, the earliest there could be any movement on judicial nominees is the week of April 17, when the recess is over. Numerous reports have indicated that Senator Fetterman intends to return to the Senate that week as well. This will help alleviate some of the attendance issues in the Democratic Caucus.

As of April 6, there are 99 Article III vacancies, 74 of which are current. There are 36 pending nominees: 18 waiting for floor votes, 12 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 6 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 119 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On the Bench will return when the full Senate is back from the April recess and judicial nominations activity resumes.