Today, President Joe Biden's 235th federal judicial nominee was confirmed, marking a significant achievement in judicial appointments. This number is the largest since the Carter administration for a single presidential term. The newly appointed judges are expected to serve for decades and are described as "highly qualified men and women—all committed to the rule of law and the Constitution."
President Biden has prioritized the confirmation of federal judges throughout his career, starting from his tenure leading the Senate Judiciary Committee. In his four years as president, he has transformed the federal bench by appointing over a quarter of all active judges, ensuring that they reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
The confirmations under President Biden include one Supreme Court Justice, 45 court of appeals judges, 187 district court judges, and two United States Court of International Trade judges. He achieved this milestone with bipartisan cooperation despite challenges such as a historically long 50-50 Senate.
A key focus for President Biden has been enhancing professional diversity on the federal bench. He has appointed more than 45 public defenders, over 25 civil rights lawyers, and at least 10 individuals representing workers' interests. His nominees also come from diverse legal backgrounds including private practice, prosecutors' offices, immigration law, municipal law, and plaintiff-side law. Many appointees have military service experience in both legal and non-legal capacities.
Demographic diversity has also been a hallmark of President Biden's judicial appointments. His nominees include "the first Black woman ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court" and a record number of women and minority judges across various demographic groups such as Black, Latino, AANHPI (Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander), Native American, Muslim-American, and LGBTQ communities.
Judges play a critical role in shaping everyday life by making decisions on issues like reproductive healthcare rights, voting rights, labor rights including unionization and wages, and environmental protections such as clean air and water access. They also guard against governmental overreach.
President Biden expressed pride in his record of appointments and thanked the Senate for its collaboration in achieving this historic confirmation milestone.
