How Biden compares with other recent presidents in appointing federal judges

By
John Gramlich

Following a flurry of judicial confirmations in the final weeks of the 118th Congress, President Joe Biden will end his tenure in the White House having appointed 228 judges to the federal courts. That figure includes record numbers of women and racial or ethnic minorities.

Biden’s total narrowly eclipses the 226 federal judges Donald Trump appointed during his first term as president. Trump, however, will soon be able to add to his tally as he prepares to take office for a second term, which will start with a Republican Senate majority.

As Biden’s term draws to a close, here’s a look at the federal judges the 46th president appointed during his four years in the White House. This analysis is based on data from the Federal Judicial Center, the research and education arm of the federal judiciary.

This analysis focuses only on judges appointed to the 91 district courts and 13 appeals courts governed by Article III of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. It excludes judges appointed to certain specialized courts, such as the U.S. Court of International Trade, and appointees to non-Article III territorial courts in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For additional methodological information, click on the “How we did this” box below.

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