Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts

rdf:langString Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts

rdf:langString 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. As of July 19, 2022, of the 179 Courts of Appeals judges, 91 were appointed by Republican presidents, compared to 81 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. As of July 20, 2022, of the 679 district court judges, 327 were appointed by Democratic presidents compared to 289 by Republican ones. Within the individual circuit jurisdictions, Democratic presidents have appointed majorities in 7 circuits and Washington, D.C. while Republican presidents have appointed a majority in 4 circuits. 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. 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.