Federal judicial appointments by president

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This page provides an overview of the number of federal judges appointed by each president, a historical comparison of presidential judgeship appointments from 1933 to 2024, and a comparison of appointments over time by president and court type from 1945 to 2024. The historical comparisons are updated at the end of a presidency, and the data on appointments over time is updated monthly.

As of the monthly federal vacancy count report for June 1, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) had made 194 Article III judicial appointments.

HIGHLIGHTS

President Ronald Reagan (R) appointed the most federal judges during his presidency from 1981 to 1989 with 402 confirmations.

Presidents Bill Clinton (D) and George W. Bush (R) followed with 387 confirmations and 340 confirmations, respectively.

President William Henry Harrison (Whig), who died a month into his presidency in 1841, is the only president to make no federal judicial appointments.

President Jimmy Carter (D) made the most judicial appointments relative to his tenure in the White House. He averaged 65.5 judicial appointments per year during his one term in office.

President George Washington made the most appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court, appointing 10 judges to the Court. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed eight justices during his four terms in office.

To read more about how judicial vacancies are filled by the president, click here.

Total judicial appointments by president

The following chart shows the total judgeship appointments made by each president from 1901 to 2021.

The following chart shows the judgeship appointments by court made by each president from 1901 to 2021. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is abbreviated as USCAFC. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims, previously known as the U.S. Court of Claims, is abbreviated USCFC.

The following chart shows the average number of judicial appointments per year in office by presidents from 1901 to 2021.

Active Article III judges by appointing president

This data includes current federal judges and does not reflect the total number of judges appointed by each president.

Comparison of Article III judicial appointments by president (June 1, Year 4)

The chart below details the number of Article III judicial appointments during each president's first term at four specific dates: end of first year in office, end of second year, June 1 of the fourth year, and end of the fourth year. It includes Presidents Ronald Reagan (R) through Joe Biden (D).

• Presidents have made an average of 172.6 judicial appointments through June 1 of their fourth year in office.
• President Joe Biden (D) made the most appointments through June 1 of his fourth year with 201. President Ronald Reagan (R) made the fewest with 137.
• President Donald Trump (R) made the most appointments through four years with 234. President Ronald Reagan (R) made the fewest through four years with 166.
• President Ronald Reagan (R) made the most appointments through one year in office with 41. President Barack Obama (D) made the fewest with 13.
• President Bill Clinton (D) made the most appointments through two years with 128. President Barack Obama (D) made the fewest with 62.

Article III judicial appointments over time
President	End of year one	End of year two	June 1, year four	End of year four
Joe Biden	40	97	201	TBD
Donald Trump	19	85	197	234
Barack Obama	13	62	148	173
George W. Bush	28	100	177	204
Bill Clinton	28	128	186	203
George H.W. Bush	15	71	162	193
Ronald Reagan	41	88	137	166

Comparison of Article III judicial appointments over time by president and court type (June 1, Year 4)

As of June 1, 2024, the breakdown of Article III judges is as follows:

• Supreme Court of the United States: 9 justices
• United States court of appeals: 179 judgeships
• United States district court: 677 judgeships
• United States Court of International Trade: 9 judgeships

The table and chart below show the number of Article III judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate under each of the last seven presidents as of June 1 of their fourth year in office. The confirmations are broken up by court type.

• The median number of Supreme Court appointees is two. Two presidents (Reagan, and Biden) made one appointment. Four presidents (H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump) made two. President George 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 32. President Trump had the most appointees with 51. President Reagan appointed the fewest with 25.
• The median number of United States District Court appointees is 142. President Biden had the most appointees with 156. President Reagan appointed the fewest with 109.

First-term judicial confirmations through June 1 of a president's fourth year
President	Supreme: End of year one	Appeals: End of year one	District: End of year one	Other: End of year one	Total: End of year one	Supreme: End of year two	Appeals: End of year two	District: End of year two	Other: End of year two	Total: End of year two
Joe Biden	0	11	29	0	40	1	28	68	0	97
Donald Trump	1	12	6	0	19	2	30	53	0	85
Barack Obama	1	3	9	0	13	2	16	44	0	62
George W. Bush	0	6	22	0	28	0	17	83	0	100
Bill Clinton	1	3	24	0	28	2	19	107	0	128
George H.W. Bush	0	5	10	0	15	1	22	48	0	71
Ronald Reagan	1	8	32	0	41	1	19	68	0	88

First-term judicial confirmations through June 1 of a president's Fourth year
President	Supreme: June 1, year four	Appeals: June 1, year four	District: June 1, year four	Other: June 1, year four	Total: June 1, year four	Supreme: End of year four	Appeals: End of year four	District: End of year four	Other: End of year four	Total: End of year four
Joe Biden	1	42	156	2	201	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Donald Trump	2	51	142	2	197	3	54	174	3	234
Barack Obama	2	29	117	0	148	2	30	141	0	173
George W. Bush	0	32	144	1	177	0	35	168	1	204
Bill Clinton	2	30	152	2	186	2	30	169	2	203
George H.W. Bush	2	35	124	1	162	2	42	148	1	193
Ronald Reagan	1	25	109	2	137	1	33	129	3	166

Appeals court confirmations

The chart below shows the number of appeals court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through June 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Trump had the most appeals court appointments with 51.

District court confirmations

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through June 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Joe Biden had the most district court appointments with 156.

Appointments by president

Joe Biden

As of May 22, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) has made 201 Article III judicial appointments. Biden announced his intent to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court on February 25, 2022, and officially nominated her on February 28, 2022. She was confirmed on April 7, 2022.

Click here for more details on federal judges nominated by Joe Biden.

Donald Trump

During his term in office, President Donald Trump made 234 judicial appointments. Trump nominated Judges Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. All three were confirmed.

For a full list of the president's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump.

Barack Obama

During his two terms in office, President Barack Obama made 334 judicial appointments. He nominated three individuals to serve as justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, but only had two confirmed: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Merrick Garland, President Obama's last nominee to the Supreme Court, had no action taken in the U.S. Senate on his nomination.

For a full list of President Obama's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Barack Obama.

George W. Bush

During his two terms in office, President George W. Bush made 340 judicial appointments. He nominated three individuals to the Supreme Court, but only had two confirmed: Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Samuel Alito. Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination before the confirmation process began.

For a full list of the President Bush's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by George W. Bush. For archived information from The White House on his nominees, see: The White House President George W. Bush.

Bill Clinton

During his two terms in office, President Bill Clinton made 378 judicial appointments. Among those were two justices nominated (and confirmed) to the Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

For a full list of the President Clinton's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Bill Clinton.

George H.W. Bush

During his term in office, President George H.W. Bush made 194 judicial appointments. He nominated (and had confirmed) two justices of the Supreme Court: David Souter and Clarence Thomas.

For a full list of the President Bush's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by George H.W. Bush.

Ronald Reagan

During his two terms in office, President Ronald Reagan made 384 judicial appointments. Among those were five nominees (and four confirmations) to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and Antonin Scalia. Robert Bork's nomination was rejected by a Senate vote of 58-42.

For a full list of the President Reagan's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Ronald Reagan.

Jimmy Carter

During his term in office, President Carter made 262 judicial appointments. He did not have the opportunity to nominate any justices to the Supreme Court.

For a full list of President Carter's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Jimmy Carter.

Gerald Ford

During his term in office, President Ford made 65 judicial appointments. Among that low number was Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

For a full list of President Ford's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Gerald Ford.

Richard Nixon

During his terms in office, President Nixon made 232 judicial appointments. He nominated six individuals to the Supreme Court and four were confirmed: Chief Justice Warren Burger, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist. Clement Haynsworth, Jr. was rejected by a Senate vote of 45-55, while G. Harrold Carswell was rejected by a vote of 45-51.

For a full list of President Nixon's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Richard Nixon.

Lyndon Johnson

During his term in office, President Johnson made 176 judicial appointments. He nominated three individuals to the Supreme Court and two were confirmed: Abe Fortas and Thurgood Marshall. In 1968, Johnson nominated Associate Justice Fortas to succeed Chief Justice Earl Warren and simultaneously nominated Homer Thornberry to succeed Fortas. After Fortas withdrew his nomination for Chief Justice, the nomination of Thornberry was voided.

For a full list of Johnson's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Lyndon Johnson.

John Kennedy

During his partial term in office, President Kennedy made 124 judicial appointments. He nominated and had confirmed two justices of the Supreme Court: Arthur Goldberg and Byron White.

For a full list of Johnson's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by John F. Kennedy.

Dwight Eisenhower

During his terms in office, President Eisenhower made 180 judicial appointments. He nominated five individuals to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Earl Warren, William Brennan, John Harlan, Potter Stewart and Charles Whittaker.

For a full list of Eisenhower's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Dwight Eisenhower.

Harry Truman

During his terms in office, President Truman made 137 judicial appointments. He nominated four justices to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Fred Vinson, Harold Burton, Tom Clark and Sherman Minton.

For a full list of Truman's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Harry Truman.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

During his four terms in office, Roosevelt made 204 judicial appointments. He also nominated nine justices to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, Hugo Black, James Byrnes, William Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, Robert H. Jackson, Frank Murphy, Stanley Reed and Wiley Rutledge.

For a full list of Roosevelt's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Herbert Hoover

During his term in office, President Hoover nominated 62 judges to the federal courts. He nominated four individuals to the Supreme Court, three of whom were confirmed: Chief Justice Charles Hughes, Benjamin Cardozo and Owen Roberts. John Parker's nomination was rejected by a Senate vote of 39-41.

For a full list of Hoover's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Herbert Hoover.

Calvin Coolidge

During his terms in office, President Coolidge nominated 78 federal judges. He nominated only one Supreme Court Justice, Harlan Fiske Stone.

For a full list of Coolidge's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Calvin Coolidge.

Warren Harding

During his term in office, President Harding nominated 52 judges to the federal courts. Among those judges, four were nominated to the Supreme Court, including: former President William Howard Taft as Chief Justice, Pierce Butler, Edward Sanford and George Sutherland.

For a full list of Harding's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Warren Harding.

Woodrow Wilson

During his terms in office, President Wilson nominated 71 federal judges. Three justices were nominated (and confirmed) to the Supreme Court: Louis Brandeis, John Clarke and James McReynolds.

For a full list of Wilson's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Woodrow Wilson.

William Howard Taft

During his term in office, President William Howard Taft nominated 56 judges to the federal courts. He also nominated six justices to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Edward Douglass White, Willis Van Devanter, Charles Hughes, Joseph Lamar, Horace Lurton and Mahlon Pitney. Taft is the only President of the United States to have served on the Supreme Court as well. He was appointed Chief Justice by Warren Harding.

For a full list of Taft's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by William Howard Taft.

Theodore Roosevelt

During his terms in office, President Theodore Roosevelt nominated 74 federal judges. He also nominated three justices to the Supreme Court: William Day, Oliver Wendell Holmes and William Moody.

For a full list of Roosevelt's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by Theodore Roosevelt.

William McKinley

During his terms in office, President William McKinley nominated 35 judges to the federal courts. Only one of those judges was a Supreme Court Justice, Joseph McKenna.

For a full list of President McKinley's nominees, see: Federal judges nominated by William McKinley.

Grover Cleveland

During his two non-consecutive terms in office, President Grover Cleveland nominated 41 federal judges. Overall, he nominated six individuals to the Supreme Court, though only four were confirmed: Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller, Lucius Lamar, Rufus Peckham and Edward Douglass White. In his second term William Hornblower was rejected by a Senate vote of 24-30, while Wheeler Peckham (Rufus' brother) was rejected by a vote of 32-41.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Cleveland, see: Federal judges nominated by Grover Cleveland.

Benjamin Harrison

During his term in office, President Benjamin Harrison nominated 42 judges to federal courts. Of those judges, four joined the Supreme Court: David Brewer, Henry Brown (Louisiana), Howell Jackson and George Shiras.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Harrison, see: Federal judges nominated by Benjamin Harrison.

Chester Arthur

During his term in office, President Chester Arthur nominated 19 federal judges. He nominated three individuals to serve on the Supreme Court, though Roscoe Conkling declined the offer. Horace Gray and Samuel Blatchford joined the court.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Arthur, see: Federal judges nominated by Chester Arthur.

James Garfield

During his year in office, President James Garfield nominated only 5 judges to the federal courts. Though only five judges were nominated to serve, one was Stanley Matthews, who was confirmed in 1881.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Arthur, see: Federal judges nominated by James Garfield.

Rutherford B. Hayes

During his term in office, President Rutherford B. Hayes nominated 22 federal judges. He nominated three individuals to the Supreme Court and two were confirmed, John Harlan and William Woods. There was no action on the nomination of Stanley Matthews, who was later nominated and confirmed under the administration of James Garfield.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Hayes, see: Federal judges nominated by Rutherford B. Hayes.

Ulysses Grant

During his two terms in office, President Ulysses Grant nominated 46 judges to the federal courts. Eight individuals were nominated to the Supreme Court, though only five were confirmed: Chief Justice Morrison Waite, Edwin Stanton, William Strong, Joseph Bradley and Ward Hunt. The nomination of Ebenezer Hoar was rejected by the Senate, while those of George Williams and Caleb Cushing were withdrawn. Edwin Stanton died between his confirmation and the beginning of his term.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Grant, see: Federal judges nominated by Ulysses Grant.

Andrew Johnson

During the term of President Andrew Johnson, he nominated 9 federal judges. He nominated only one person to the Supreme Court, Henry Stanberry, and there was no action taken on it by the Senate.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Johnson, see: Federal judges nominated by Andrew Johnson.

Abraham Lincoln

During his terms in office, President Abraham Lincoln nominated 32 judges to the federal courts. He nominated five justices to the Supreme Court, all of whom were confirmed: Chief Justice Salmon Chase, David Davis, Stephen Field, Samuel Miller and Noah Swayne.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Lincoln, see: Federal judges nominated by Abraham Lincoln.

James Buchanan

During his term in office, President James Buchanan nominated 8 federal judges. He nominated two individuals to the Supreme Court and only one was confirmed: Nathan Clifford. The nomination of Jeremiah Black was rejected by a Senate vote of 25-26.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Buchanan, see: Federal judges nominated by James Buchanan.

Franklin Pierce

During his term in office, President Franklin Pierce nominated 16 judges to the federal courts. He nominated one justice to the Supreme Court: John Campbell.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Pierce, see: Federal judges nominated by Franklin Pierce.

Millard Fillmore

During his term in office, President Millard Fillmore nominated 5 federal judges. He nominated four individual to the Supreme Court though only one was confirmed: Benjamin Curtis. No action was taken on the nominations of Edward Bradford and William Micou, while the nomination of George Badger was withdrawn.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Fillmore, see: Federal judges nominated by Millard Fillmore.

Zachary Taylor

During his year in office, President Zachary Taylor nominated 4 judges to the federal courts. He did not have the opportunity to nominate any justices to the Supreme Court.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Taylor, see: Federal judges nominated by Zachary Taylor.

James Polk

During his term in office, President James Polk nominated 10 federal judges. Three judges were nominated to the Supreme Court and two were confirmed: Levi Woodbury and Robert Grier. George Woodward was rejected by a Senate vote of 20-29.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Polk, see: Federal judges nominated by James Polk.

John Tyler

During his term in office, President John Tyler nominated 7 judges to the federal courts. He nominated five different individuals to the Supreme Court though only one was confirmed: Samuel Nelson. John Spencer was nominated twice in 1844, the first time his nomination was rejected by a Senate vote of 21-26 and the second time it was withdrawn. Reuben Walworth was nominated three times; twice the nominations were withdrawn and once there was no action. Edward King was nominated twice; once a vote was postponed, the second time it was withdrawn. Lastly, John Read was nominated in 1845 and no action was taken in the Senate.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Tyler, see: Federal judges nominated by John Tyler.

William Henry Harrison

During his month in office, President William Henry Harrison did not have the opportunity to nominate any federal judges.

Martin Van Buren

During his term in office, President Martin Van Buren nominated 10 federal judges. He nominated two justices to the Supreme Court, both of whom were confirmed: John McKinley and Peter Daniel.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Van Buren, see: Federal judges nominated by Martin Van Buren.

Andrew Jackson

During his two terms in office, President Andrew Jackson nominated 23 judges to the federal courts. He nominated seven justices to the Supreme Court, six of whom were confirmed: Chief Justice Roger Taney, Henry Baldwin, Phillip Barbour, John Catron, John McLean and James Wayne. William Smith was nominated but declined the position.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Jackson, see: Federal judges nominated by Andrew Jackson.

John Quincy Adams

During his term in office, President John Quincy Adams nominated 12 federal judges. He nominated two individuals to the Supreme Court, though only one was confirmed: Robert Trimble (Supreme Court). John Crittenden was nominated, but never joined the court.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Quincy Adams, see: Federal judges nominated by John Quincy Adams.

James Monroe

During his terms in office, President James Monroe nominated 22 judges to the federal courts. One justice was nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court: Smith Thompson.

For a full list of judges nominated by President James Monroe, see: Federal judges nominated by James Monroe.

James Madison

During his terms in office, President James Madison nominated 13 federal judges. He nominated five individuals to the Supreme Court and two were confirmed: Joseph Story and Gabriel Duvall. Both Levi Lincoln and John Quincy Adams denied their nominations, and Alexander Wolcott's nomination was rejected by a 9-24 Senate vote.

For a full list of judges nominated by President James Monroe, see: Federal judges nominated by James Madison.

Thomas Jefferson

During his terms in office, President Thomas Jefferson nominated 13 judges to the federal courts. Three justices were nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court: William Johnson, Jr., H. Brockholst Livingston and Thomas Todd.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Thomas Jefferson, see: Federal judges nominated by Thomas Jefferson.

John Adams

During his term in office, President John Adams nominated 23 federal judges. Three justices were nominated to the Supreme Court: Chief Justice John Marshall, Alfred Moore and Bushrod Washington.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Adams, see: Federal judges nominated by John Adams.

George Washington

During his terms in office, President George Washington nominated 38 judges to the federal courts.

The first Justices nominated to the Supreme Court were: Chief Justice John Jay, Chief Justice John Rutledge, John Blair, William Cushing, and James Wilson. Robert Harrison was nominated and declined the position.

When the Senate reconvened in December 1795, it rejected Rutledge's nomination with a 10-14 vote. Thomas Johnson succeeded Rutledge.

Washington's later nominees were William Paterson, Samuel Chase and Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth.

For a full list of judges nominated by President Washington, see: Federal judges nominated by George Washington.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

• The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
• The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

• As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

• After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

• If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
• If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

• The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

• If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
• If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

• Supreme Court Chief Justices
• Judicial Branch

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States Courts, Judges and Judgeships: Appointments by President