- Ikuta plans to take senior status, a form of semi-retirement afforded to judges that allows for a lighter workload, upon the appointment of her successor, a court representative confirmed.
- The court is now closely divided between 16 Democratic-appointed judges and 13 Republican-appointed judges.
- The new vacancy puts Trump at five US circuit court seats to fill in the judiciary. He made 54 lifetime appointments to the US appeals courts in his first term.
Ikuta is the first appellate judge to announce senior status since Trump started his second term on Jan. 20. There are also vacancies on the First, Fourth and Third circuits for Trump to fill, with the White House yet to name any nominees.
Law360 has Judge Ikuta's Sr. Status Plans Give Trump 9th Circ. Opening
The DJ has 9th Circuit's Sandra Ikuta to take senior status, pending Trump's replacement -- Judge Sandra S. Ikuta has been a prominent conservative voice on the appellate court. She has written major rulings later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and played a key role in dissenting opinions that led to reversals of the court's liberal-leaning decisions.
On the appellate civility front, see this unpub from 2/4, discussed in the MetNews at Westwood Lawyers Slammed in C.A.Opinion for Second Time for Incivility in Briefing [3/20 update: The DJ has Panel rebukes firm for incivility but says it's right on the merits]
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