President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 14 Article III federal judges through Oct. 1, 2021, his first year in office. This is the most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since 1981. The Senate had confirmed seven of President Donald Trump’s (R) appointees at this point in his term.

The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through Oct. 1 of their first year in office is seven.

1. The median number of Supreme Court appointees is one. Three presidents (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Trump) made one appointment. Three presidents (George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Biden) had not appointed any.
2. The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees is two. Biden appointed the most with five. Ronald Reagan, Clinton, and Obama appointed the fewest with one each.
3. The median number of United States District Court appointees is three. Reagan appointed the most with 11. Obama appointed the fewest with one.

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.

Additional reading:

• Federal judicial appointments by president: Comparison of Article III judicial appointments over time by president
• Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden