The federal courts were asked to do a lot with a little in 2012, on the bench and in budgets.

A slew of judicial vacancies went unfilled, with the White House facing pushback from Senate Republicans over nominees. Confirmations picked up during the lame duck session, but many courts will still enter 2013 with empty seats. Come February, for instance, the 11-member U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will be saddled with four vacancies.