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Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships

Below is a table showing aggregate numbers of permanent and temporary* bankruptcy judgeships authorized by Congress, followed by tables displaying specific numbers for each state and judicial district. The U.S. courts of appeals appoint bankruptcy judges to renewable fourteen-year terms.

*In statutes of 1992, 2005, and 2017, Congress authorized temporary bankruptcy judgeships. Congress has determined the duration of temporary judgeships by providing that the court's next vacancy to arise (as a result of the death, retirement, resignation, or removal of a bankruptcy judge) after a particular date will not be filled. Most often, Congress has chosen a date five years after the date the authorizing statute was enacted or the date the new judgeship was filled, but Congress has frequently extended temporary judgeships beyond their original duration. The designation "temporary judgeship expired" in the tables below indicates the date on which a vacancy arose that was not authorized to be filled, thereby reducing the total number of authorized judgeships. 

 

[ Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming ]

Aggregate Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Permanent
Temporary
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
232 0 232
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
284 0 284
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
292 0 292
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
316
10 326
January 3, 2000, December 31, 2000
Temporary judgeships expired
316 8 324
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
316 36 352
September 30, 2010
Temporary judgeship expired
316 35 351
March 1, 2012
Temporary judgeship expired
316 34 350
April 30, 2014
Temporary judgeship expired
316 33 349
October 2, 2017
Temporary judgeship expired
316 32 348
October 26, 2017
131 Stat. 1229
316 36 352
February 2, 2018, June 30, 2018
Temporary judgeships expired
316 34 350
January 14, 2019, January 31, 2019, February 7, 2019
Temporary judgeships expired
316 31 347
June 30, 2020, August 31, 2020
Temporary judgeships expired
316 29 345

 

Alabama: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Middle
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
2
9
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
6
(5 + 1 temporary)
2 2 10
(9 + 1 temporary)
April 30, 2014
Temporary judgeship expired
5
2 2 9

 

Alaska: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
District of Alaska
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
2

 

Arizona: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
District of Arizona
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
5
August 25, 1992
106 Stat. 965
7

 

Arkansas: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Eastern and Western Districts
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3

 

California: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Northern
District
Eastern
District
Central
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
7 4 12 3 26
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
9 6 19 4 38
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
9 6 21 4 40
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
9 7
(6 + 1 temporary)
24
(21 + 3 temporary)
4 44
(40 + 4 temporary)
February 2, 2018
Temporary judgeship expired
9 7
(6 + 1 temporary)
23
(21 + 2 temporary)
4 43
(40 + 3 temporary)
June 30, 2018
Temporary judgeship expired
9 7
(6 + 1 temporary)
22
(21 + 1 temporary)
4 42
(40 + 2 temporary)
January 31, 2019
Temporary judgeship expired
9 6 22
(21 + 1 temporary)
4 41
(40 + 1 temporary)
August 31, 2020
Temporary judgeship expired
9 6 21 4 40

 

Colorado: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
District of Colorado
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
5
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
6
(5 + 1 temporary)
January 3, 2000
Temporary judgeship expired
5

 

Connecticut: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Connecticut
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
3

 

Delaware: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of of Delaware
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
2
(1 + 1 temporary)
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
6
(1 + 5 temporary)
October 26, 2017
131 Stat. 1229
8
(1 + 7 temporary)

 

District of Columbia: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Columbia
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

Florida: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Middle
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
2 3 6
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
1 4 3 8
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
1 8 5 14
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
1 8 7
(5 + 2 temporary)
16
(14 + 2 temporary)
October 26, 2017
131 Stat. 1229
2
(1 + 1 temporary)
8 7
(5 + 2 temporary)
17
(14 + 3 temporary)

 

Georgia: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Middle
District
Southern
District
Middle and
Southern Districts
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4 2 1 0 7
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
6 2 2 0 10
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
8 2 2 1 13
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
8 3 3
(2 + 1 temporary)
0 14
(13 + 1 temporary)

 

Hawaii: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Hawaii
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

Idaho: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Idaho
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2

 

Illinois: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Northern
District
Central
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
8 2 1 11
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
10 3 1 14
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
10 3 2
(1 + 1 temporary)
15
(14 + 1 temporary)

 

Indiana: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2 4 6
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3 4 7

 

Iowa: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 1 2
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2 2 4

 

Kansas: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Kansas
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
3
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
4

 

Kentucky: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western 
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 2 3
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
1 3 4
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
2 3 5

 

Louisiana: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Middle
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2 1 2 5
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2 1 3 6

 

Maine: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Maine
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2

 

Maryland: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of of Maryland
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
4
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
7
(4 + 3 temporary)

 

Massachusetts: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Massachusetts
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
5

 

Michigan: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western 
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4 2 6
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
4 3 7
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
5
(4 + 1 temporary)
3 8
(7 + 1 temporary)
October 26, 2017
131 Stat. 1229
6
(4 + 2 temporary)
3 9
(7 + 2 temporary)

 

Minnesota: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Minnesota
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4

 

Mississippi: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 2 3
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
1 3
(2 + 1 temporary)
4
(3 + 1 temporary)
January 14, 2019
Temporary judgeship expired
1 2 3

 

Missouri: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western 
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
3 3 6

 

Montana: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Montana
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

Nebraska: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Nebraska
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2

 

Nevada: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Nevada
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
4
(3 + 1 temporary)

 

New Hampshire: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of New Hampshire
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
2
(1 + 1 temporary)
September 30, 2010
Temporary judgeship expired
1

 

New Jersey: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of of New Jersey
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
5
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
7
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
8
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
9
(8 + 1 temporary)

 

New Mexico: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of New Mexico
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2

 

New York: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Northern
District
Eastern
District
Southern
District 
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2 6 7 3 18
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
2 6 9 3 20
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
7
(6 + 1 temporary)
10
(9 + 1 temporary)
3 23
(20 + 3 temporary)
March 1, 2012
Temporary judgeship expired
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
7
(6 + 1 temporary)
9 3 22
(20 + 2 temporary)

 

North Carolina: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Middle
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2 2 1 5
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2 2 2 6
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
2 3
(2 + 1 temporary)
2 7
(6 + 1 temporary)
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
2
6 + 2 temporary)

 

North Dakota: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of North Dakota
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

Ohio: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
8 7 15

 

Oklahoma: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Northern
District
Eastern
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 1 2 4
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2 1 3 6

 

Oregon: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Oregon
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
5

 

Pennsylvania: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Middle
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
3 2 3 8
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3 2 4 9
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
5 2 4 11
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
6
(5 + 1 temporary)
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
4 13 
(11 + 2 temporary)
October 2, 2017
Temporary judgeship expired
5 3
(2 + 1 temporary)
4 12
(11 + 1 temporary)
February 7, 2019
Temporary judgeship expired
5 2 4 11

 

Puerto Rico: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Puerto Rico
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
4
(2 + 2 temporary)

 

Rhode Island: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Rhode Island
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

South Carolina: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of South Carolina
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
3
(2 + 1 temporary)
December 31, 2000
Temporary judgeship expired
2
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
3
(2 + 1 temporary)

 

South Dakota: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of South Dakota
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2

 

Tennessee: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Middle
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2 2 2 6
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3 2 3 8
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
3 2 4 9
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
4
(3 + 1 temporary)
3 4 11
(10 + 1 temporary)
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
4
(3 + 1 temporary)
3 5
(4 + 1 temporary)
12 
(10 + 2 temporary)
June 30, 2020
Temporary judgeship expired
4
(3 + 1 temporary)
3 4 11
(10 + 1 temporary)

 

Texas: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  Northern
District
Eastern
District
Southern
District 
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
4 1 3 2 10
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
5 1 6 3 15
November 3, 1988
102 Stat. 2982
5 2 6 4 17
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
6 2 6 5
(4 + 1 temporary)
19
(18 + 1 temporary)

 

Utah: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Utah
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
2
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
3

 

Vermont: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Vermont
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1

 

Virginia: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
3 3 6
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
4 3 7
August 26, 1992
106 Stat. 965
5 3 8
April 20, 2005
119 Stat. 196
6
(5 + 1 temporary)
3 9
(8 + 1 temporary)

 

Washington: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 4 5
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
2 5 7

 

West Virginia: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1 1 2

 

Wisconsin: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
 
Eastern
District
Western
District
Total
Judgeships
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
3 2 5
October 27, 1986
100 Stat. 3088
4 2 6

 

Wyoming: Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships
  District of Wyoming
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 336
1