First Circuit Federal Courts 2023

 A new year, a new congress, the 118th: seems like a good time to assess the state of the third branch of government--the Federal Courts.

Lets take this on one Circuit at a time beginning with the FIRST.  

The First Circuit is the smallest by Appellate numbers with only 6 seats on that level.  Covering the states and territory of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico, the entire circuit is made up of 34 judges.  6 at the Appellate level and 28 among the state/territorial jurisdictions. 

Subsequent graphs will show the demographics of the seats broken down by Presidential Appointment, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity.

This graph shows the ratio between the population and the judiciary.  In other words, the number of people expected to be served by each judge at the District level.

 This suggests that in the First Circuit the most dangerous places to live are in descending order:

1. Rhode Island
2. Puerto Rico
3. Maine
4. New Hampshire
5. Massachusetts

Breaking the data down.  

The First Circuit is clearly influenced by Democratic ideals.  By percentage, President Biden has had the greatest impact on this Circuit in his first two years in office.

Thanks to Biden's appointment, the First Circuit has gender parity.  And 2 of the 5 Districts are majority female.

What stands out most is the lack of a single Black judge.