[2] Republicans successfully blocked some confirmations, either by filibuster or voting against cloture, even while the Democratic caucus held a Senate majority (2009–2015).
Scalia's death led to an unusual situation in which a Democratic president had the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court nominee while the Republicans controlled the United States Senate; before Scalia's death; such a situation last occurred when a Senate Republican majority confirmed Grover Cleveland's nomination of Rufus Wheeler Peckham in 1895.
[115] Following Scalia's death, Republican Senate leaders announced that they did not plan to consider any Supreme Court nomination during the president's last year in office, citing the upcoming 2016 United States presidential election.
[119] On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his selection of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the open Supreme Court seat.
[232] The authors found that "the current rate of vacancies has resulted in 1,000 fewer prison inmates annually compared to a fully-staffed court system, a 1.5 percent decrease.