President Joe Biden reached the milestone of confirming his 200th judicial nominee when Angela Martinez was confirmed to a U.S. district court in Arizona. This is significant not only because Biden has confirmed more lifetime federal judges than Donald Trump had by the same point in his presidency, but also because of the diversity he has brought to the nation’s courts. Biden has appointed more women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and professionally diverse individuals to lifetime federal judgeships than any of his predecessors.
The diversity of Biden’s judges is striking, with nearly two-thirds being women and nearly two-thirds being people of color. Approximately 40% of Biden’s judges are women of color, a rarity in the history of the federal court system. Biden has also appointed judges with unique professional backgrounds, with over 40% having experience as public defenders or civil rights lawyers, breaking from the tradition of selecting federal judges from the ranks of prosecutors or corporate attorneys.
Biden’s judicial appointments have included some historic firsts, such as the first openly LGBTQ+ woman, the first Muslim American, and four Native American individuals to serve as federal judges. His appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court made her the first Black woman and former public defender to serve on the nation’s highest court. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the diversity of Biden’s 200 judges as the most diverse slate of judicial nominations under any president in American history.
In addition to the diversity of his judges, Biden’s success in confirming the 200 judicial nominees includes one Supreme Court justice, 42 appeals court judges, 155 district court judges, and two Court of International Trade judges, all serving lifetime appointments. While Biden may match Trump’s number of confirmed district judges by the end of the year, he is unlikely to fill as many appeals court vacancies as Trump did, given the limited number of vacancies available. Despite this, Biden’s focus on appointing judges who are not white males has been achieved and exceeded.
Experts have praised Biden’s judicial record as impressive, with his emphasis on diversifying the federal judiciary standing out as a notable achievement. By surpassing 200 confirmed judicial nominees and breaking barriers by appointing historically underrepresented individuals to the bench, Biden has made a lasting impact on the composition of the nation’s courts. Overall, his success in appointing a diverse group of judges is seen as a major accomplishment and a significant milestone in his presidency.
