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Help Wanted: US Judicial Vacancies Increasing; 2011 Retirements Average One Per Week

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 8, 2011, 1:04 pm CST

Six federal judges have announced their retirements in the last six weeks, contributing to a growing number of judicial vacancies that are taxing some courts and delaying some trials.

Judicial vacancies have steadily increased since President Obama took office, the Washington Post reports. “Experts blame Republican delaying tactics, slow White House nominations and a dysfunctional Senate confirmation system,” the story says. Currently there are 101 vacancies out of 857 judgeships, compared to only 54 vacancies when Obama became president.

The situation is particularly dire in Arizona where immigration and drug cases are contributing to growing caseloads, the Post says. The federal judge killed in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. District Judge John Roll, had stopped to thank U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for sending a letter to help get a judicial emergency declared in his district. Three judges there are each handling about 1,200 cases.

In central Illinois, only one out of four judgeships is filled. Chief Judge Michael McCuskey told the Post he is commuting 90 miles and relying on two 81-year-old senior judges to handle the caseload. “I had a heart attack six years ago, and my cardiologist told me recently, ‘You need to reduce your stress,’ ” he told the newspaper. “I told him only the U.S. Senate can reduce my stress.”