Edwin Meese III Institute · Tom Jipping
Recurring memos tracking the pace of Senate confirmations for the nation’s judicial and executive-branch nominees.
Confirmations by the Numbers: the latest data →
39 memos
Each memo tracks the pace of Senate confirmations for the President’s judicial nominees — vacancies, nominations, and confirmations — compared with prior administrations at the same point. It is written by Tom Jipping, Senior Legal Fellow at Advancing American Freedom’s Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law.
Article II of the Constitution gives the President authority to nominate and, with the Senate’s advice and consent, to appoint “Officers of the United States,” including federal judges. Nominees are typically considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee before a confirmation vote by the full Senate.
New editions are published regularly — typically while the Senate is in session — and each includes a downloadable PDF with the latest confirmation data and charts.
The Plum Book, published shortly after each presidential election, lists the federal positions that require presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. The number of executive-branch positions requiring confirmation has varied little over the period the tracker covers.
