President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the U.S. Senate has confirmed 221 Article III federal judges through December 1, 2024, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since President Ronald Reagan (R).
The average number of federal judges appointed by previous presidents through December 1 of his fourth year in office is 196. President Barack Obama (D) had the fewest confirmations with 160, and President Donald Trump (R) had the most with 227.
The median number of Supreme Court appointees is two. Two presidents—Reagan and Biden—made one appointment. Three presidents—George H.W. Bush (R), Bill Clinton (D), and Obama—made two. One president—Trump—made three. 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 35. Trump had the most appointees with 53. Clinton and Obama appointed the fewest with 30.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 168. Biden had the most appointees with 173, and Obama appointed the fewest with 128.
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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