Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 218 Article III federal judges through October 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Jimmy Carter (D). The Senate had confirmed 260 of Carter’s appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through October 1 of their fourth year in office is 197.
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 55, while Reagan appointed the least with 28. Trump’s 53 appointments make up 29% of the total 179 judgeships across the courts of appeal.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 161. Carter appointed the most with 202, and Reagan appointed the fewest with 121. Trump has appointed 161 district court judges so far. Those appointments make up 24% 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.
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