Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate confirmed 146 Article III federal judges through August 1, 2019, his third year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in a presidency of all presidents dating back to Theodore Roosevelt. Only Bill Clinton, with 156 judicial appointments, had more.

 

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.

 

The median number of federal judges appointed by a president through August 1 of their third year in office is 80.4.

 

The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed was two. William Taft’s (R) five appointments are the most among this set. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt (D), Jimmy Carter (D), and George W. Bush (R) did not appoint any justices through August 1 of their third years in office. Trump has appointed 2 justices so far.

 

The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees was 18. Trump appointed the most with 43, and Presidents Theodore Roosevelt (R) and Woodrow Wilson (D) appointed the fewest with five each. Trump’s 43 appointments make up 24 percent of the total 179 court of appeal judgeships.

 

The median number of United States District Court appointees was 54. Clinton appointed the most with 128, and T. Roosevelt appointed the fewest with 10. Trump has appointed 99 district court judges so far. Those appointments make up 15 percent of the 677 district court judgeships.