Dec 14, 2024 Story by: Editor
As President Joe Biden nears the end of his term, he is poised to break records for appointing the most federal judges of color in U.S. history.
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Tiffany Johnson as a judge for the Northern District of Georgia, marking the 40th Black woman Biden has appointed to a lifetime federal judgeship. This milestone surpasses the number appointed by any previous president in a single term.
According to data shared by the White House with NBC News, nearly 60% of Biden’s 233 judicial appointees are people of color. Two additional nominees, Benjamin Cheeks and Serena Raquel Murillo, are awaiting Senate confirmation after their nominations advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday. If Cheeks is confirmed, Biden will have appointed 63 Black federal judges, the most under any presidency, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
In an emailed statement, White House communications director Ben LaBolt highlighted Biden’s achievements, stating, “President Biden is proud to have strengthened the judiciary by making it more representative of the country as a whole, and that legacy will have an impact for decades to come.”
Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program and adviser at the Leadership Conference, emphasized the importance of diversity in the judiciary. “Even before taking office, President Biden signaled to the Senate that he wanted to make sure that people who had been historically excluded from our judiciary are included,” she said. She added that research shows diverse perspectives among judges improve decision-making and enhance public trust in judicial institutions.
Biden’s record contrasts sharply with his predecessors. Barack Obama appointed 26 Black women to lifetime federal judgeships across two terms, while Donald Trump appointed only two during his first term. Jimmy Carter, during his single term, appointed 37 Black federal judges. Both Obama and Bill Clinton each appointed 62 Black judges in two terms. If Cheeks is confirmed, Biden will surpass that record by one.
The Leadership Conference’s analysis includes multiracial judges and accounts for judges appointed to multiple courts under the same president.
Senate Democrats have vowed to confirm as many of Biden’s judicial nominees as possible before January, when a new Congress takes office. Since Election Day, dozens of nominees have been confirmed. However, some circuit court nominations remain in limbo due to opposition from both Democrats and Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reaffirmed the commitment to Biden’s nominees, stating in a November post on X, “This Senate will keep working to confirm more of President Biden’s excellent judicial nominees.”
Marge Baker, executive vice president at People For the American Way, stressed the urgency of confirming the remaining nominees. “As pleased as we are with the quality and quantity of nominees that have been confirmed so far, these circuit court nominees are also really, really important,” she said.
The four nominees awaiting confirmation include Adeel Abdullah Mangi (3rd Circuit Court of Appeals), Julia M. Lipez (1st Circuit), Karla M. Campbell (6th Circuit), and Ryan Young Park (4th Circuit). “These courts make decisions that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people,” Baker explained, citing cases involving voting rights, workers’ rights, climate change, and abortion as examples.
Biden’s appointments have reshaped the judiciary by diversifying its demographic and professional composition. Many of his nominees include former public defenders, civil rights lawyers, and lawyers representing workers. Over half are women, and several are from LGBTQ communities and various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Biden also made history with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment as the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Several of his appointees represent groundbreaking “firsts” within the judiciary.
“Biden has been a leader in terms of appointing Black judges,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “The great thing about this is that these appointments will have long-term impacts, at least in terms of representation. This is showing the public that the inclusion of Black judges should be natural, regular.”
Experts note that the significance of Biden’s appointments will continue to unfold, particularly as these judges play critical roles in shaping future court decisions.
Elliot Mincberg, a Supreme Court expert and counsel for People For the American Way, praised the impact of Biden-appointed judges, stating they have “had an enormous impact on improving justice for Americans all across the country.”
Zwarensteyn described Biden’s judicial appointments as “a tremendous and often not-discussed part” of his legacy. “He’s really taken it to what I would say is the next level in terms of administrations who have done this,” she said. Source: NBC News
