Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 202 Article III federal judges through August 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. Tied with President Bill Clinton (D), this is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Jimmy Carter (D). The Senate had confirmed 247 of Carter’s appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through August 1 of their fourth year in office is 188.
The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed is two. Along with President Trump, Presidents Barack Obama (D), Bill Clinton (D), and George H.W. Bush (R) had each appointed two Supreme Court justices at this point in their first terms. Ronald Reagan (R) had appointed one, while Carter and George W. Bush (R) had not appointed any.
The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees is 35. Carter appointed the most with 54, while Reagan appointed the least with 27. Trump’s 53 appointments make up 29.6% of the total 179 judgeships across the courts of appeal.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 145. Carter appointed the most with 190, and Reagan appointed the fewest with 117. Trump has appointed 145 district court judges so far. Those appointments make up 21.4% of the 677 judgeships across the district courts.
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.