Following is a list of all Article III United States federal judges appointed by President Thomas Jefferson during his presidency.All information on the names, terms of service, and details of appointment of federal judges is derived from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public-domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center. In total Jefferson appointed 19 Article III federal judges, including 3 Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States, 7 judges to the United States circuit courts, and 9 judges to the United States district courts. Three of Jefferson's circuit court appointments were to seats that had been created by the Midnight Judges Act, signed by John Adams to allow the appointment of many of his supporters in the closing days of his administration. The service of these judges, including those appointed by Jefferson, terminated on July 1, 1802, due to the repeal of the Act and the accompanying abolition of the court.
Two of Jefferson's appointees, William Cranch (whom Jefferson elevated to Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia) and Henry Potter (appointed first to the Fifth Circuit, and then to the District of North Carolina) served into the 1850s. Potter's 55 years on the latter court remains the longest period of active service in United States federal court history.
United States Supreme Court justices
# Justice Seat State Former justice Nominationdate Confirmationdate Beganactive service Endedactive service South Carolina New York Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1806, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1806, and received commission on January 16, 1807. Virginia
Circuit courts
# Judge Circuit Nominationdate Confirmationdate Began activeservice Ended activeservice Appointed as Chief Judge. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 6, 1802, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 26, 1802, and received commission on January 26, 1802.Appointed as an Associate Judge. Appointed to a seat created by the Midnight Judges Act, abolished with the repeal of that act on July 1, 1802. Appointed as Chief Judge after previously serving as an Associate Judge of the same court.
District courts
# Judge CourtSee List of United States district and territorial courts Nominationdate Confirmationdate Began activeservice Ended activeservice Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 20, 1805, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 23, 1805, and received commission on January 17, 1806. Reassigned by operation of law to the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on April 9, 1814.
See also Marbury v. Madison (1803) Stuart v. Laird (1803) United States v. More (1805)
Notes
References General
Specific
Sources Federal Judicial Center