Biden Appoints 235th Federal Judge, Breaking Trump’s Record
Democratic lawmakers have celebrated it as ‘one of the greatest achievements of Senate Democrats.’
On Friday, President Joe Biden achieved the confirmation of his 235th federal judicial nominee, eclipsing the record set by President-elect Donald Trump during his first term by one.
The Senate also voted to confirm another Biden nominee, Benjamin Cheeks, to the federal district court in Southern California.
“This majority has now confirmed more judges under President Biden than any majority has in decades. This is historic,” Schumer proclaimed on the Senate floor on Friday.
“We have confirmed more judges than during the Trump administration, more than any administration this century, and more than any administration in recent decades,” he added.
During his presidency, Biden has successfully appointed one Supreme Court justice, 45 Circuit Court judges, 187 district judges, and two International Trade Court judges, as outlined in a White House fact sheet.
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The White House indicated that Biden’s judicial nominees hail from a variety of professional backgrounds, including over 45 public defenders, 25 civil rights attorneys, and at least 10 individuals experienced in representing workers.
His nominees also brought diverse experiences from private law practices, prosecutor offices, immigration law, municipal law, and plaintiff-side law.
“When I ran for President, I pledged to assemble a bench that mirrors America and exemplifies our nation’s promise,” Biden, whose presidential term will conclude in January, stated.
“And I am proud to have honored my commitment to enhancing trust in judicial decision-making and outcomes,” he continued.
Approximately two-thirds of Biden’s appointments are women, and a robust majority are people of color, including several Native American and Native Hawaiian judges.
A key appointment was Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American woman to serve on the highest court in the nation.
“President Biden is proud of his appointment record and thankful to the Senate for its collaboration in achieving this historic milestone,” the White House remarked.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, regarded the judicial confirmations as “one of the most significant feats of Senate Democrats.”
As noted by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Biden has appointed 63 black judges, 12 openly LGBT judges, and the first four Muslim judges in U.S. history. The group emphasized that the U.S. federal court system has “historically failed” to uphold “equal justice under the law.”
While Biden has achieved more district judge confirmations than Trump, he has had fewer high-level circuit court appointments, with 45 compared to Trump’s 54 during his initial term. Biden also secured one Supreme Court confirmation, while Trump had three.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the nominees’ political ideologies.
“One of the repercussions of the Trump era is that it pushed Democrats to extreme positions, resulting in the selection of nominees who are extreme partisans,” he said.
The Senate confirmed 234 of Trump’s judicial nominees during his first term. Trump is set to be inaugurated for a second term on January 20, 2025.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
