Illuminating the federal appellate bench
Benchlight is a continuously updated record of the federal appellate courts — their current composition, vacancies and pending nominations, the cases they hear, the panels that decide them, and the opinions they issue.
313Appellate judges serving
4,077In the directory since 1789
27,701Cases
29,344Judicial writings
4,438Oral arguments
Current vacancies
Appellate seats vacant now.
No U.S. Court of Appeals seat is vacant.
Announced vacancies
Seats whose occupant has given notice of retirement or senior status. The date shown is when the departure was announced — the day the seat actually opens is often not yet fixed.
| Court | Seat of | Reason | Announced | Nominee | Nominated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Circuit | Leslie H. Southwick | Senior | Sept. 28, 2026 | — | |
| Eighth Circuit | Bobby E. Shepherd | Senior | July 20, 2026 | Lee Philip Rudofsky | Sept. 14, 2026 |
| Fifth Circuit | Kurt D. Engelhardt | Senior | June 9, 2026 | Anna St. John | July 14, 2026 |
| Tenth Circuit | Timothy M. Tymkovich | Senior | Feb. 24, 2026 | Daniel Desmond Domenico | May 12, 2026 |
Before the Senate
Nominations received and not yet resolved.
| Nominee | Court | Seat of | Received | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Philip Rudofsky of Arkansas | Eighth Circuit | Bobby E. Shepherd | Sept. 14, 2026 | Hearing held Sept. 30, 2026 |
| Anna St. John of Louisiana | Fifth Circuit | Kurt D. Engelhardt | July 14, 2026 | Reported to the floor Sept. 24, 2026 |
| Daniel Desmond Domenico of Colorado | Tenth Circuit | Timothy M. Tymkovich | May 12, 2026 | Reported to the floor July 23, 2026 |
Recent opinions
| Type | Case | Author | Court | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion | Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma v. Zeldin | Timothy M. Tymkovich | Tenth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Opinion | Momodou Jatta v. Todd Blanche | James B. Loken | Eighth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Opinion | United States v. Antoine Cook | John Kenneth Bush | Sixth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Opinion | McCain v. Mary Mahoney's | Carolyn Dineen King | Fifth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Opinion | GH America v. Fohn | Jerry Edwin Smith | Fifth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Opinion | Banner v. Wright | Per curiam | Fifth Circuit | Oct. 16, 2026 |
| Concurrence in part | Paula Bailey v. Mich. Dep't of Corr. | Ronald Lee Gilman | Sixth Circuit | Oct. 15, 2026 |
| Opinion of the Court | Eric D. Holmes v. Ron Neal | John Zihun Lee | Seventh Circuit | Oct. 15, 2026 |
| Opinion | Eric D. Holmes v. Ron Neal | Candace Rae Jackson-Akiwumi | Seventh Circuit | Oct. 15, 2026 |
| Opinion of the Court | Paula Bailey v. Mich. Dep't of Corr. | Richard Allen Griffin | Sixth Circuit | Oct. 15, 2026 |
Courts
The Supreme Court and the thirteen U.S. Courts of Appeals.
- Supreme Court 11 judges · 1,620 cases
- First Circuit 12 judges · 2,016 cases
- Second Circuit 28 judges · 2,101 cases
- Third Circuit 24 judges · 1,539 cases
- Fourth Circuit 19 judges · 2,069 cases
- Fifth Circuit 24 judges · 2,101 cases
- Sixth Circuit 32 judges · 2,786 cases
- Seventh Circuit 15 judges · 2,022 cases
- Eighth Circuit 18 judges · 2,150 cases
- Ninth Circuit 51 judges · 2,329 cases
- Tenth Circuit 23 judges · 1,514 cases
- Eleventh Circuit 22 judges · 1,980 cases
- D.C. Circuit 16 judges · 1,643 cases
- Federal Circuit 18 judges · 1,831 cases
Newest on the bench
Appellate judges who most recently took their seats.
| Judge | Took office |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Michael Flowers Sixth Circuit | Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Matthew Alexander Schwartz Second Circuit | July 24, 2026 |
| Daniel Mack Traynor Eighth Circuit | July 24, 2026 |
| Justin Daniel Smith Eighth Circuit | June 18, 2026 |
| Joshua Dale Dunlap First Circuit | Nov. 7, 2025 |
| Eric Chunyee Tung Ninth Circuit | Nov. 7, 2025 |
| Rebecca Liane Taibleson Seventh Circuit | Nov. 3, 2025 |
| Jennifer Lee Mascott Third Circuit | Oct. 10, 2025 |
Latest Supreme Court orders
| Order | Issued |
|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Order | Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Miscellaneous Order | Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Miscellaneous Order | Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Miscellaneous Order | Sept. 29, 2026 |
| Miscellaneous Order | Sept. 29, 2026 |