Second US Judge Reverses Decision to Create Judicial Vacancy After Trump’s Victory

Federal district judges in North Carolina and Ohio decided to not seek semi-retired status after Trump won last month.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) answers a journalist's question during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2024. Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images

A second Democrat-appointed federal judge has rescinded a decision to create a new judicial vacancy in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.

The move by U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn of North Carolina was made as time is running out for President Joe Biden to nominate new judges and get them confirmed by the Senate before Democrats lose their majority in that chamber when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2025. Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.