President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the U.S. Senate has confirmed 205 Article III federal judges through September 1, 2024, his fourth year in office. This is the most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since President Ronald Reagan (R). The Senate had confirmed 203 of President Donald Trump’s (R) appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by previous presidents through September 1 of his fourth year in office is 185. By September of his fourth year, Reagan had the fewest confirmations with 149.
The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed is two. Two presidents (Reagan and Biden) made one appointment. 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 35. Trump had the most appointees with 53. Reagan appointed the fewest with 28.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 146. Clinton had the most appointees with 169. Reagan appointed the fewest with 117.
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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