On The Bench: Week of March 14, 2024

The Senate made encouraging progress on judicial nominations this week. As of this writing, there have been 3 Article III confirmations: Judge Melissa DuBose (D.R.I.), Magistrate Judge Sunil Harjani (N.D. Ill.), and Jasmine Yoon (W.D. Va.). Judges DuBose and Yoon become the first people of color to serve as a judge on their respective courts.

The Senate also invoked cloture on Nicole Berner (4th Cir.) on Thursday afternoon. This sets up a potential confirmation vote for when the Senate returns next week.

As of March 14, there are 78 Article III vacancies, 49 of which are current. There are 23 pending nominees: 13 waiting for floor votes, 4 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 6 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 185 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.