President Joe Biden celebrated a significant achievement on January 2, 2025, marking the confirmation of a record number of federal judges during his administration. Flanked by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Biden emphasized the long-term impact of these appointments on the nation’s democratic institutions. He stressed the independence, fairness, and impartiality of the newly confirmed judges, adding, with evident pride, that they would uphold the Constitution.
Biden surpassed the number of judicial nominees confirmed during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, a feat overshadowed by the upcoming shift in Senate control from Democrats to Republicans. This transition, effective Friday, January 3rd, effectively ended the opportunity for further confirmation votes before Trump’s second term inauguration on January 20th.
In total, Biden’s administration confirmed 235 judicial nominees: 187 to district courts, 45 to federal appeals courts, and two to the Court of International Trade. This impressive number included the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights highlighted the significant diversity within Biden’s appointments, noting that nearly 100 nominees had backgrounds as civil rights lawyers or public defenders. Furthermore, Biden’s appointments set a record for the number of women and judges from underrepresented minority groups—Black, Native American, Latino and Latina, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander—appointed to the federal judiciary.
President Biden expressed his satisfaction with the newly diverse composition of the federal bench, stating, “For the first time in a long, long time, we have a bench that looks like and represents all of America.” He emphasized the unique backgrounds and experiences of these judges, highlighting their advocacy for civil rights, workers’ rights, and immigrant rights.
Senator Durbin, instrumental in shepherding these nominations through the Senate Judiciary Committee, underscored the bipartisan support for the majority of these appointments (over 80%). He acknowledged the crucial role of Senate Majority Leader Schumer in bringing the nominations to the Senate floor for votes, playfully describing his efforts as “nagging” and “twisting Schumer’s arm.” Schumer, in turn, reciprocated the praise, highlighting the historic nature and consequential impact of these confirmations as one of the Biden administration’s most significant accomplishments. Both senators emphasized the crucial role these judges will play in protecting democratic institutions, particularly in safeguarding voting rights and election integrity.
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Last updated 10:35 p.m., Jan. 2, 2025
by Ariana Figueroa, Minnesota Reformer
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