President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed nine Article III federal judges through Sept. 1 of his first year in office. This is the most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies going back to President Ronald Reagan (R). The Senate had confirmed six of President Donald Trump’s (R) appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through Sept. 1 of their first year in office is four.
The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed at this point in a presidency is zero. Of the last seven presidents, Presidents Bill Clinton (D), Barack Obama (D), and Trump were the only three to have a confirmed Supreme Court justice at this point in their respective terms.
The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees at this point is two. Trump and Biden appointed the most with four each. Reagan, Clinton, and Obama appointed the fewest with zero.
The median number of United States District Court appointees at this point in a term is two. Biden appointed the most with five. Clinton and Obama appointed the fewest with zero.
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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