Global InformationJudicial appointment history for United States federal courts information
The appointment of federal judges for United States federal courts is done via nomination by the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate. The tables below provide the composition of all Article III courts which include the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals at the end of each four year presidential term, as well as the current compositions of the District Courts and the Court of International Trade, categorizing the judges by the presidential term during which they were first appointed to their seats.
As of June 30, 2022, of the 9 justices of the Supreme Court, 6 were appointed by a Republican president, and 3 were appointed by a Democratic president.[1][2][3]
As of March 19, 2024, of the 179 Courts of Appeals judges, 91 were appointed by Republican presidents, compared to 86 by Democratic presidents. Out of the 13 federal appeals courts, Democratic appointees have a majority on 7 courts, whereas Republican appointees have a majority on 6 courts.[4]
As of April 10, 2024, of the 680 district court judges, 366 were appointed by Democratic presidents compared to 274 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.[5][6]
The party of the president who appointed a judge is generally a consistent indicator of that judge's judicial philosophy and place on the political spectrum, especially in modern times, although there are cases where judges stray from their appointers.[7] Federal judges often strategically time their retirement so as to give the president of the same party that first appointed them an opportunity to nominate the successor.[8][9][10][11]
- ^ "It took conservatives 50 years to get a reliable majority on the Supreme Court. Here are 3 reasons why". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "Kavanaugh Confirmation Solidifies Supreme Court Tilt to the Right". www.rollcall.com. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 2nd Session". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- ^ "Circuit Status". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "How Trump is shifting the most important courts in the country". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "With another Supreme Court pick, Trump is leaving his mark on higher federal courts". www.pewresearch.org. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "Justices tend to agree with presidents that pick them — but stray later". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ Stolzenberg, Ross M.; Lindgren, James (2022). "Judges as Party Animals: Retirement Timing by Federal Judges and Party Control of Judicial Appointments". American Sociological Review. 87 (4): 675–697. doi:10.1177/00031224221102072. ISSN 0003-1224. S2CID 233649566.
- ^ Chen, Daniel L.; Reinhart, Eric (2022-02-19). "The Disavowal of Decisionism: Politically Motivated Exits from the U.S. Courts of Appeals". SSRN. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2816253. S2CID 157951217. SSRN 2816253.
- ^ Nixon, David C.; Haskin, J. David (2000). "Judicial Retirement Strategies: The Judge's Role in Influencing Party Control of the Appellate Courts". American Politics Quarterly. 28 (4): 458–489. doi:10.1177/1532673X00028004002. ISSN 0044-7803. S2CID 35805961.
- ^ Spriggs, James F; Wahlbeck, Paul J. (1995). "Calling It Quits: Strategic Retirement on the Federal Courts of Appeals, 1893-1991". Political Research Quarterly. 48 (3): 573–597. doi:10.1177/106591299504800306. ISSN 1065-9129. S2CID 153375332.