Trump remains leader in appeals court appointees and second in total judicial appointments since Carter


Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate confirmed 193 Article III federal judges through March 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in a presidency of all presidents dating back to Jimmy Carter. Only Carter (207) had more.

The average number of federal judges appointed by a president at the end of their third year in office is 165.

The median number of Supreme Court appointees is two. Four presidents (H.W. Bush, Clinton, Obama, and Trump) made two appointments. Presidents Jimmy Carter (D) George W. Bush (R) did not appoint any justices through this point in their presidencies.

The median number United States Court of Appeals appointees is 30. Trump appointed the most with 51, and Ronald Reagan (R) appointed the fewest with 24.

The median number of United States District Court appointees is 138. President Carter (D) appointed the most with 157, and President Reagan (R) appointed the fewest with 97.

Article III federal judges are appointed for life terms by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate per Article III of the United States Constitution. Article III judges include judges on the: Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. courts of appeal, U.S. district courts, and the Court of International Trade.

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