Judge Jane Stranch of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has expressed her intention to take senior status, which has opened up the possibility of a new vacancy for President Joe Biden to fill. This comes amid calls from progressives for more judges to step down to provide Biden with more vacancies to fill at the circuit level operation, which is one step below the Supreme Court.
The Bloomberg Law report notes that Stranch is the fourth appellate judge to announce an intention to semi-retire this month.
The Sixth Circuit has been predominantly composed of Republican appointees, and Judge Stranch’s decision to take senior status — a position that allows for a reduced workload, contingent upon confirmation of a successor — could allow President Biden to tip the balance. Those familiar with the matter confirmed Judge Stranch’s intention.
Potentially, Biden could be in a position to appoint as many as five judges to the court, reshaping its future rulings and interpretations to reflect his government’s perspective.
As we follow this evolving story, it’s clear that the retirement decisions of senior judges can have strong ramifications on a president’s ability to influence the makeup of the judiciary. For Biden, the senior status of Stranch may represent an opportunity to sway the ideological leanings of the Sixth Circuit towards his own.