How many judges did Obama appoint?

Asked by: Dr. Lillian Waters III  |  Last update: October 23, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (40 votes)

U.S. President Barack Obama nominated over 400 individuals for federal judgeships during his presidency. Of these nominations, Congress confirmed 329 judgeships, 173 during the 111th & 112th Congresses and 156 during the 113th and 114th Congresses.

How many judges were appointed by Republican presidents?

As of January 02, 2025, of the 679 district court judges, 384 were appointed by Democratic presidents compared to 257 by Republican ones. Within the individual circuit jurisdictions, Democratic presidents have appointed majorities in 8 circuits while Republican presidents have appointed a majority in 4 circuits.

Which president appointed the most judges?

Ronald Reagan appointed 383 federal judges, more than any other president. To date, Ronald Reagan has appointed the largest number of federal judges, with 383, followed closely by Bill Clinton with 378. Jimmy Carter has appointed the most federal judges in a single term, with 262, followed by Joe Biden, with 235.

What president put the most Supreme Court justices?

George Washington holds the record for most Supreme Court nominations, with 14 nominations (12 of which were confirmed).

How many judges did Obama appoint to the Supreme Court?

President Barack Obama made two successful appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States. The first was Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice David H. Souter. Sotomayor was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 6, 2009, by a vote of 68–31.

President Obama to announce federal appeals court nominees

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How many judges did Joe Biden appoint?

The total number of Biden Article III judgeship nominees to be confirmed by the United States Senate is 235, including one associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 45 judges for the United States courts of appeals, 187 judges for the United States district courts and two judges for the United States ...

How many judges were appointed by Trump?

As of January 20, 2025, the United States Senate has confirmed 234 Article III judges nominated by Trump: three associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, 54 judges for the United States courts of appeals, 174 judges for the United States district courts, and three judges for the United States Court ...

How did Trump appoint so many Supreme Court justices?

The Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett confirmations were enabled by a rule change made by Senate Republicans in 2017, which applied the so-called nuclear option to Supreme Court nominees and allowed nominations to be advanced by a simple majority vote rather than the historical norm of a three-fifths supermajority vote.

Who is the only Supreme Court justice to get impeached?

Has a Justice ever been impeached? The only Justice to be impeached was Associate Justice Samuel Chase in 1805. The House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment against him; however, he was acquitted by the Senate.

Did Biden appoint anyone to the Supreme Court?

In February 2022, Biden selected Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who retired at the end of the court's 2022 term.

Do federal judges serve for life?

Federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, are appointed for life under Article III of the U.S. Constitution.

How many black federal judges are there?

This is a list of African Americans who have served as United States federal judges. As of December 20, 2024, 301 African-Americans have served on the federal bench.

Are judges Republican or Democrat?

The current justices (those voting in the 2023 term, shown with solid bars) are near the extremes for this period with all the 6 Republican-appointed justices near the top and the 3 Democratic-appointed justices near the bottom.

Who is the oldest Supreme Court justice?

From oldest to youngest, the ages of the current Supreme Court justices are: Justice Thomas, 75. Justice Alito, 73. Justice Sotomayor, 69.

How can a federal judge be removed?

Only Congress has the authority to remove an Article III judge. This is done through a vote of impeachment by the House and a trial and conviction by the Senate.

Who is the only former president to become a Supreme Court justice?

William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and from 1921 to 1930 as the tenth chief justice of the United States, the only person to have held both offices.

What two presidents have been impeached?

The presidents impeached by the House were:
  • Andrew Johnson in 1868.
  • William Jefferson (Bill) Clinton in 1998.
  • Donald John Trump in 2019 and 2021.

Has a federal judge ever been assassinated?

John H. Wood Jr. was appointed by President Richard Nixon to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. He was assassinated on May 29, 1979, by Charles Harrelson in the parking lot outside Wood's home in San Antonio, Texas.

How many Supreme Court justices have been impeached?

The Senate voted to acquit Chase of all charges on March 1, 1805. He returned to his duties on the court. He is the only U.S. Supreme Court Justice to have been impeached.

When was the last time one party controlled the House, Senate, and presidency?

From 2017 to 2019 in the United States, the Republican Party held the Senate, House of Representatives, and the presidency.

How many times has Trump been taken to Court?

From 1973 until he was elected president in 2016, Donald Trump and his businesses were involved in over 4,000 legal cases in United States federal and state courts, including battles with casino patrons, million-dollar real estate lawsuits, personal defamation lawsuits, and over 100 business tax disputes.

How many federal judges did Reagan appoint?

In total Reagan appointed: four justices to the Supreme Court of the United States, including the appointment of a sitting associate justice as chief justice, 83 judges to the United States courts of appeals, 290 judges to the United States district courts and 6 judges to the United States Court of International Trade.

Who appointed each of the 9 Supreme Court justices?

The Constitution requires the president to submit nominations to the Senate for its advice and consent. Since the Supreme Court was established in 1789, presidents have submitted 165 nominations for the Court, including those for chief justice.