Vacancies beset the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The New York Times, in its article of March 17, 2021, appears to take this as breaking news for its front page, column left, feature. Regrettably, the process of selecting judges at both the U.S. Senate level and our own New Jersey Senate requires a "permission to proceed" slip. On the federal level, any home state senator can refuse to pass on a candidate for the U.S. District Court without a public reason. The nomination dies. We've editorialized on this pernicious practice many times. Leadership on the point should come from our own Sens. Menedez and Booker to change the Senate rule. Perhaps that will embolden our New Jersey state senators to follow suit. The goal for both is to honor a fully staffed third branch of our government.