ICYMI: President Biden Secures 235th Judicial Confirmation

Last night, President Biden's 235th life-tenured federal judicial nominee was confirmed. This marks the largest number of confirmations in a single term since the Carter administration. These highly qualified men and women—all committed to the rule of law and the Constitution—will serve the federal Judiciary for decades to come.

Dating back to his time leading the Senate Judiciary Committee, President Biden has made the confirmation of federal judges a top priority. During his four years in office, President Biden has transformed the federal bench and appointed over a quarter of all active judges, while helping to ensure that the Judiciary looks like the communities it serves.

Here is a Fact Sheet on this important milestone, and a statement from President Joe Biden here.

Associated Press: Senate approves 235th judge of Biden's term, beating Trump's tally
[Kevin Freking, 12/20/24]

President Joe Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency Friday, an accomplishment that exceeds his predecessor's total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis on the federal courts following Donald Trump's far-reaching first term, when he filled three seats on the Supreme Court.

WaPo: Senate confirms 2 Biden judicial nominees, boosting total over Trump
[Tobi Hall, 12/20/24]

[The] confirmations add to a diverse cohort of judges nominated by Biden that include more women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals than any other president in U.S. history.

Reuters: Biden secures 235th confirmed judicial appointee, one more than Trump
[Nate Raymond, 12/20/24]

The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted to confirm two of Biden's nominees to serve as life-tenured federal trial court judges in California, capping off a four-year effort by the White House to reshape a federal judiciary that shifted ideologically to the right during the first presidential term of Trump, a Republican. Biden now ranks No. 2 in history for the most judicial appointments in a single four-year term, beating the 234 Trump named.

CBS: Biden surpasses Trump on judicial confirmations with Senate's approval of his 235th nominee
[Melissa Quinn, 12/20/24]

As he nears the end of his presidency, Mr. Biden will close out his four years in office having appointed one Supreme Court justice, 45 judges to the federal appeals courts, 187 to the district courts and two to the Court of International Trade. His selection of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made history, since she is the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court.

New York Times: In Late Push, Senate Democrats Narrowly Top Trump on Judicial Confirmations
[Carl Hulse, 12/20/24]

The Senate confirmed on Friday the 235h lifetime federal judge nominated by President Biden, topping the four-year record set during the first Trump administration by a single judge in a drive that significantly reshaped the federal courts to be more ethnically and professionally diverse.

HuffPost: Joe Biden Just Beat Donald Trump On This Extremely Important Metric
[Igor Bobic, 12/20/24]

Judges are arguably a president's most lasting legacy, shaping the law long after they've left office. Biden has put more women, people of color, out LGBTQ+ people and professionally diverse people into lifetime federal judgeships than any of his predecessors ? following through on one of his early campaign promises to reshape the judiciary to reflect the nation as a whole.

NBC News: Senate confirms Biden's 235th judge, beating Trump's record
[Sahil Kapur, 12/20/24]

The Democratic-led Senate confirmed the 235th federal judge nominated by President Joe Biden, marking a milestone for the outgoing occupant of the White House by giving him one more than former President Donald Trump secured.

Politico: Dems fight to Trump-proof the federal judiciary
[Anthony Adragna, 12/20/24]

Democrats on Friday hit a major milestone, confirming more judges under President Joe Biden than Republicans did in President-elect Donald Trump's first term. It deprives Trump of putting a bigger conservative stamp on the judiciary — and Democrats will have leverage to continue fighting next year […] Biden has now appointed a range of judges amounting to about a fourth of the overall federal judiciary.

Bloomberg: Biden Gets Record 235th federal Judge Confirmed in Waning Days
[Justin Sink, Billy House, 12/20/24]

The confirmations include 45 appeals justices and 187 district court justices, in what aides say was a concerted effort by the president and his legal team to prioritize confirmations. In a fact sheet, the White House said Biden had seen the confirmation of a record number of women, Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, Muslim-American, and LGBTQ judges, and more Black women confirmed to circuit courts than every other presidential administration combined.