Many civil cases filed in Fresno federal court will not move forward in the coming months as the Eastern District grapples once again with a vacancy on its San Joaquin Valley bench.

With U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba’s recent elevation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Eastern District Chief Judge Kimberly Mueller said she’s enacting an emergency plan that will prioritize criminal proceedings in the Fresno division. The courthouse now has just one active district judge: Jennifer Thurston.