President Joe Biden (D) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 159 Article III federal judges through December 1, 2023, his third year in office. The Senate had confirmed 164 of President Donald Trump’s (R) appointees at this point in his term.
The average number of federal judges appointed by previous presidents through December 1 of his third year in office is 146.7.
President George W. Bush (R) made the most appointments through December 1 of his third year with 168. President Barack Obama (D) made the fewest with 119.
The median number of Supreme Court justices appointed is one. Three presidents—Ronald Reagan (R), George H.W. Bush (R), and Biden—made one appointment, and three presidents—Bill Clinton (D), Obama, and Trump—made two. W. Bush did not appoint any SCOTUS justices by this point in his presidency.
The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees is 29. Trump had the most appointees with 48. Reagan appointed the fewest with 23.
The median number of United States District Court appointees is 112. W. Bush had the most appointees with 138. Obama appointed the fewest with 93.
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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