President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 201 Article III federal judges through June 1, 2024, his fourth year in office. This is the most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Ronald Reagan (R). The Senate had confirmed 197 of President Donald Trump’s (R) appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by previous presidents through June 1 of his fourth year in office is 173. By June 1 of his fourth year, Reagan had the fewest confirmations with 137.
The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed is two. Four presidents—George H.W. Bush (R), Bill Clinton (D), Barack Obama (D), and Trump—made two. President George W. Bush (R) did not appoint any Supreme Court justices by this point in his presidency.
The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees is 32. Trump had the most appointees with 51. Reagan appointed the fewest with 25.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 142. Biden had the most appointees with 156. Reagan appointed the fewest with 109.
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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