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Senate Democrats Have Made History, Confirming More Lifetime Judges To The Federal Bench Than Under Any Recent President

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Today, this Senate achieved an unprecedented milestone, confirming President Biden’s 235th judicial nominee to the federal bench – more judges confirmed in the last four years than under any president in decades. Senate Democrats have prioritized the confirmation of President Biden’s judicial nominees, helping to make history and balance the federal courts by confirming hundreds of well-qualified and historic nominees. Judges nominated by President Biden and confirmed by this Senate now make up more than one-fourth of all active federal judges.

  

You can find Leader Schumer’s remarks here.

These well-qualified and historic judges are helping to reshape the federal judiciary, and adding a new breadth of experience to the bench. As teachers, labor lawyers, civil rights attorneys, and public defenders, these judges are helping to expand the depth of experience on the federal bench. From the most public defenders confirmed to circuit courts in history, to historic firsts like the first Muslim American man and woman confirmed to the federal judiciary, to the first Navajo federal judge, to the first out lesbian to serve on any federal circuit court, and the confirmation of more Black women to circuit court judgeships than all previous presidents combined, these judges are helping our legal system to better reflect America. From Myrna Perez, formerly the director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, to the Innocence Project’s former senior litigation counsel, Nina Morrison, to Amir Ali, formerly the director of the MacArthur Justice Center, to former general counsel of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Nicole Berner, and Julie Rikelman, the attorney who defended the Mississippi clinic in the Dobbs case that ultimately overturned Roe, these judges are adding important, previously underrepresented perspectives to the federal bench.

Since President Biden took office, Senate Democrats have confirmed 150 new judges who are women to the federal bench – more than under any other president. Senate Democrats have confirmed 139 new judges who are people of color, more than three times as many judges of color as under President Trump’s term. This Senate has confirmed more Black judges to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office; more Hispanic judges to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office; and more women of color to the bench than any other president’s full time in office.

The well-qualified and diverse judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are breaking barriers and making our courts more reflective of America. Of these 235 judicial nominees:

  • 150/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are women
  • 139/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are people of color
  • 63/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Black
  • 40/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Black women
  • 39/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Hispanic
  • 41/235 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander

In comparison to other presidents’ entire time in office: 

  • This Senate has confirmed more public defenders to circuit court judgeships than any president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more Black judges to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more Hispanic judges to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more women of color to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more women to judgeships than any Republican president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more people of color to circuit court judgeships than any other president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more Hispanic, Asian and Native women to the federal bench than any other president’s full time in office.
  • This Senate has confirmed more openly LGBTQ+ people to judgeships than any president’s full time in office.

These historic judges confirmed to the federal judiciary include:

  • 6 in 10 are women and people of color
  • The first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court
  • The second Black man confirmed to a circuit court in the past decade
  • The first Muslim American man and woman judge on the federal bench
  • The first out lesbian to serve on any federal circuit court
  • The first Navajo federal judge ever confirmed
  • Half (4/8) of all Native judges ever confirmed
  • The first Native Hawaiian woman ever confirmed
  • More than 40-percent of all Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander judges ever confirmed
  • More Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women to lifetime judgeships than all previous presidents combined
  • More than one-fifth of all Hispanic judges ever confirmed
  • More than one-third of all Latina judges ever confirmed
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