Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Judgeships topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee hears status report on filling 39 judgeships authorized in 2025
Summary
State Court Administrator Eric McClure told the Justice Budget Subcommittee that, of the 39 judgeships authorized in 2025, 16 have been appointed, 10 are in process and 13 still await convening of judicial nominating commissions; the court has also requested funding for new judges certified for 2026.
The Justice Budget Subcommittee received a status update on judgeships authorized during the 2025 legislative session from State Court Administrator Eric McClure.
McClure told the subcommittee that the Supreme Court certifies judicial need and the Legislature provides funding through the General Appropriations Act plus conforming statutory authority. "During the 2025 session, you authorized 39 judgeships," he said, noting the cohort included 15 county court, 22 circuit court and two District Court of Appeal positions for the Sixth DCA.
He gave a snapshot of appointment progress: "16 have been filled through appointment, 10 are in process, and for 13 of them, the judicial nominating commissions have not yet been convened." McClure walked members through tiered details: several county court JNCs were convened and five county court judges have been appointed while three county seats were pending certified lists to the governor; for the circuit courts, JNCs convened for 15 of 22 authorized seats, nine appointments have been completed and multiple judgeships remain pending nomination lists; both Sixth DCA seats were filled in November.
McClure said the court system submitted a supplemental legislative budget request last Friday to cover judgeships and support staff the Supreme Court certified for the 2026 session. "The Supreme Court in November issued the certification opinion for the 2026 session," he said, and that opinion certified the need for 13 circuit court judges and 12 county court judges for 2026.
On committee questions about overall vacancy rates, McClure said he had not tabulated a statewide vacancy percentage and offered to follow up with more precise data; he directed members to the governor's judicial appointments website for detailed, by‑geography appointment information and noted that appointments from the 2025 legislation are flagged there (he referenced Senate Bill 2508).
McClure also clarified that the certification methodology counts authorized judgeships (not whether the seats are filled) when assessing need, so pending appointments do not distort the court's workload calculations. He said the judicial nominating commissions typically forward at least three names to the governor and that the current governor has requested six names in some instances to broaden the candidate pool.
The subcommittee did not take formal action on the update. Chair Mayne thanked McClure for the briefing and the committee moved on to other items.
