---
type: "LegalText"
title: "28 U.S.C. § 143"
description: "Vacant judgeship as affecting proceedings"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 28
title_name: "JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "5"
chapter_name: "DISTRICT COURTS"
section: "143"
citation: "28 U.S.C. § 143"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc28@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t28/s143"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-28/usc28.xml"
source_hash: "aeffcc4931f7235956f6c5bd0ef761319f7fbcd2d57ee126da9843a3ad90f691"
raw_snapshot_hash: "3390f867a2c02f5d0c496269da780795fe19663a090a3040c64a9ee0a541cdcf"
text_hash: "8a299794080c6dcff385d59b83dd7a6b703f1ebc63f012c36aa6e31b161ab13d"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 28 U.S.C. § 143 - Vacant judgeship as affecting proceedings

## Text

When the office of a district judge becomes vacant, all pending process, pleadings and proceedings shall, when necessary, be continued by the clerk until a judge is appointed or designated to hold such court.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 898.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 26 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 22, 36 Stat. 1090). The last clause of section 26 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940, ed., prescribing the powers of a designated judge was omitted as covered by section 296 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology.