The Biden administration could trigger a shift in the experiential and racial diversity on California’s federal courts after a handful of judges announced plans to go senior, according to some legal experts.

California’s district courts will have at least 17 judicial vacancies by the end of March. In the Northern District of California, Chief District Judge Phyllis Hamilton and Judge Jeffrey White took senior status on Feb. 1. They have followed Judge William Alsup, who took senior status on Jan. 21, into semi-retirement. The Southern District of California’s chief judge, Larry Burns, went senior on Jan. 22, and District Judge Anthony Battaglia in San Diego also is set to take senior status on March 31.