As President Joe Biden approaches the end of his first term, his administration will have appointed 228 judges to the federal courts, including a significant number of women and racial or ethnic minorities. According to data from the Federal Judicial Center, Biden’s appointments surpass the 226 federal judges appointed by Donald Trump during his first term. However, Trump is set to increase his total as he begins his second term, with a Republican Senate majority.
This analysis of Biden’s judicial appointments is based on data from the Federal Judicial Center and focuses on the 91 district courts, 13 appeals courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. It excludes appointments to certain specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of International Trade and territorial courts in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Biden appointed more judges to the district courts than Trump (187 vs. 174), but fewer to the appeals courts and the Supreme Court. Biden appointed 45 judges to the federal appeals courts, which handle appeals from district courts, and one Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Notably, Jackson was first appointed to an appeals court before her elevation to the Supreme Court.
In contrast, Trump appointed 54 appeals court judges and three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. These appointments were the most by any president since Ronald Reagan, who appointed four Supreme Court justices.
