Well, Democratic senators (or representatives/governors/party reps, if a state has no D's as senators) have made a fair number of recommendations for vacancies; some of the recommendations have been public for over a year. To its credit, the Obama administration has picked up the pace of nominations of late ( compare with
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=177524&mesg_id=178473 ), so there is some hope that they'll act quickly. Realistically, they have about 2 months to get these nominations to the Senate if they expect them to have any chance of getting confirmed during the 111th Congress. If nothing else, they should put forward any recommendations that have been made by Democratic senators that are vulnerable in November (e.g. Arkansas and Colorado).
Arkansas
o Recommendations by Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor:
http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/2009-03-12-3.cfm ;
http://lincoln.senate.gov/newsroom/USAttorneys-USMarshals.cfm ;
http://pryor.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=320883o Eastern District of Arkansas (James M. Moody's old seat): Christopher J. Heller, Denise Reid Hoggard, Amelia Mosley Russell
o Western District of Arkansas (2 vacancies; 3 recs for 1st vacancy, 1 rec for 2nd vacancy): Caroline M. Craven, Susan O. Hickey, Carlton D. Jones (replaces James S. Hudson, Jr., who was initially recommended but died in May 2009); P.K. Holmes III
Connecticut
o Obama recently nominated Judge Robert Chatigny for one of the two Connecticut seats currently open on the 2nd Circuit. Susan L. Carney, deputy general counsel at Yale, looks to be the current front-runner for the second Connecticut seat on the 2nd Circuit:
http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=36483o Other possibilities for a Connecticut judgeship: Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Joette Katz, acting U.S. Attorney Nora R. Dannehy, Aaron S. Bayer
Colorado
o Recommendations in June 2009 by Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall:
http://markudall.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=3o District of Colorado (2 vacancies): William Martinez (nominated February 24, 2010), Christina Habas, Morris Ben Hoffman, Richard Brooke Jackson, Lael Montgomery, John F. Walsh
District of Columbia:
o Recommendations by D.C. House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton:
http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/02/08/white-house-vetting-opr-chief-for-federal-judgeship/o District Court for D.C. (4 vacancies): Mary Patrice Brown; Robert L. Wilkins; James “Jeb” Boasberg
Florida
o The Florida Federal Judiciary Nominating Commission made recommendations to Sen. Bill Nelson in July 2009:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/21/1150406/finalists-named-for-us-attorney.htmlo Southern District of Florida (1 vacancy): Jerald Bagley, Robert N. Scola, Jr., Kathleen M. Williams
Georgia
o Recommendations by Democratic members of Georgia's congressional delegation (Georgia's two senators and governor are R's):
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/Editorial/News/singleEdit.asp?individual_SQL=8/27/2009@34761
o Northern District of Georgia (4 vacancies): Amy M. Totenberg (nominated March 17, 2010), J. Antonio DelCampo, Leigh M. May, Albert M. Pearson III, Wayne M. Purdom, Constance C. Russell, Wendy L. Shoob, V. Natasha Perdew Silas, Gail S. Tusan, Gerald R. Weber Jr., David J. Worley
Hawaii
o Recommendations in February 2010 by Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/Feb/26/ln/hawaii2260349.htmlo District of Hawaii (1 vacancy): Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi (51 yo, rumored to be front-runner), Judge Sabrina McKenna, U.S. public defender Peter Wolff
Illinois
o Recommendations by Sen. Dick Durbin:
http://www.chicagoiplitigation.com/2009/08/articles/legal-news/senator-durbin-sends-northern-district-judicial-nominees-list-to-president-obama/ ;
http://durbin.senate.gov/showRelease.cfm?releaseId=322611o Northern District of Illinois (4 vacancies, recommendations in August 2009): Sharon Coleman and Gary Feinerman (both nominated February 24, 2010), Edmond Chang, Susan Cox, Thomas Durkin, Mary Rowland, Maria Valdez
o Central District of Illinois (2 vacancies, recommendations in February 2010): Colin Bruce (Assistant U.S. Attorney), Judge Sue E. Myerscough (previously nominated by Clinton for the same district, but Republicans blocked her), Judge James Shadid, Judge Ronald Spears
Louisiana
o Recommendation in April 2009 by Sen. Mary Landrieu:
http://landrieu.senate.gov/releases/09/2009427C07.htmlo Eastern District of Louisiana: Michael Bagneris
Maryland
o Recommendations in December 2009 by Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-12-12/news/bal-md.nominees12dec12_1_district-judges-longest-serving-judge-district-courto District of Maryland (3 vacancies, 1 recommendation per vacancy): Judge James K. Bredar (52 yo), Judge Charles B. Day (52 yo), Judge Ellen Hollander (60 yo)
Michigan
o Recommendations in June 2009 by Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow:
http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=314560o Eastern District of Michigan (2 vacancies): Judge Mark Goldsmith (nominated February 4, 2010), Judge David Allen
Minnesota
o Recommendation in November 2009 by Sen. Amy Klobuchar:
http://www.startribune.com/local/68913992.htmlo District of Minnesota: Judge Susan R. Nelson
Mississippi
o Recommendations will be made by a committee consisting of Democratic members of Mississippi's congressional delegation (i.e. Bennie Thompson, Travis Childers, Gene Taylor) and local Democratic leaders:
http://www.neshobademocrat.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=302&ArticleID=18487o 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ("Mississippi seat" vacated by Rhesa Barksdale): Judge James Graves (
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=860771699262546935# ) is rumored to be the front-runner (
http://www.mslitigationreview.com/2010/02/articles/5th-circuit-2/justice-james-graves-remains-5th-circuit-frontrunner )
o Southern District of Mississippi (1 vacancy): Carlton Reeves rumored to be a possible recommendation
Missouri
o Recommendations in February 2010 by Sen. Clair McCaskill:
http://www.dolanmedia.com/view.cfm?recID=569818o Eastern District of Missouri (2 vacancies; Obama has already nominated Audrey Goldstein Fleissig for one of the vacancies): Judge Nannette Baker (52 yo), Judge Judge Thomas C. Mummert III (59 yo), Judge Angela Turner Quigless (50 yo)
New York
o Recommendation in February 2010 by Sen. Chuck Schumer:
http://schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=322146o Southern District of New York (2 vacancies): Daniel Alter (if nominated by Obama, Alter would be first openly gay male nominee for a federal judicial post)
North Carolina
o Recommendations by Sen. Kay Hagan:
http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=229 ;
http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=351o Eastern District of North Carolina (1 vacancy, recommendations in July 2009): Allen Cobb, Jennifer May-Parker, Quentin Sumner
o Western District of North Carolina (1 vacancy, recommendations in October 2009): Max Cogburn Jr., Robert Ervin (son of former Senator Sam Ervin), Calvin Murphy (Hagan has since withdrawn this rec)
Oregon
o Recommendations in July 2009 by Sen. Ron Wyden:
http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/07/28/ron-wyden-adds-marco-hernandez-as-the-sixth-name-to-judges-list/o District Court of Oregon (2 vacancies): Thomas Balmer, Marco Hernandez (nominated by G.W. Bush to same position, but no action taken by Senate), Henry Kantor, Karsten Rasmussen, Michael Simon, Steven Wax
Texas
o The recommendation process here has been ugly. The two Republican senators are trying assert their "right" to make recommendations rather than letting the a Democratic congressional delegation perform the duty (as is customary if there is no senator/governor of the same party; see Alabama and Obama's nomination of Abdul Kallon):
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/gary_martin/Nominations_focus_of_Texas_delegation_wrangling_.htmlo In the meantime, let's assume Democratic recommendations take precedence:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/63710137.htmlo Southern District of Texas (3 vacancies): Marina Garcia Marmolejo, Diana Saldaña
o Western District of Texas (2 vacancies): Javier Alvarez, Catherine Torres-Stahl
Virginia
o Recommendation in September 2009 by Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb:
http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=90b8c909-536b-470d-9e11-ed4f6abc31bf&ContentType_id=0956c5f0-ef7c-478d-95e7-f339e775babfo Eastern District of Virginia: John A. Gibney
West Virginia
o Recommendation in October 2009 by Sens. Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller:
http://www.register-herald.com/local/x546330689/Nick-Casey-recommended-for-federal-judgeshipo Northern District of West Virginia: Nick Casey
Wisconsin
o Recommendations in January 2010 by Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl:
http://www.wisbar.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=89976o 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ("Wisconsin seat" vacated by Terence Evans): Judge Lynn S. Adelman (U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Wisconsin; he's 70 yo...), Professor Victoria F. Nourse, Judge Richard J. Sankovitz (Milwaukee County Circuit Court), Dean A. Strang
Federal Circuit
o Kathleen O'Malley was recently nominated to a vacancy on the court, but another vacancy will occur next month.
o The short list for the nomination that ultimately went to O'Malley also included judges Jeremy Fogel, Gregory Sleet, and Patti Saris:
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202437343598o Other possibilities include Stanford Professor Mark Lemley and Apple IP chief Chip Lutton