Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts

The appointment of federal judges for United States federal courts is done by a commission of the President of the United States, following nomination to 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 23, 2026, of the 179 Courts of Appeals judges, 92 were appointed by Republican presidents, and 87 by Democratic presidents. Out of the 13 federal appeals courts, Democratic appointees have a majority on 7 courts, and Republican appointees have a majority on 6 courts.

As of October 1, 2026, of the 680 district court judges, 373 were appointed by Democratic presidents compared to 280 by Republican ones. Within the individual circuit jurisdictions, Democratic presidents have appointed majorities in 7 circuits, Republican presidents have appointed a majority in 4 circuits and 1 circuit is split evenly between judges appointed by Democratic presidents and judges appointed by Republican presidents.

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.

Abbreviation key Acronym President Term Date rangeDJT 2Donald TrumpcurrentJanuary 20, 2025 – presentJRBJoe BidenonlyJanuary 20, 2021 - January 20, 2025DJT 1Donald TrumpfirstJanuary 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021BHO 2Barack ObamasecondJanuary 20, 2013 - January 20, 2017BHO 1Barack ObamafirstJanuary 20, 2009 - January 20, 2013GWB 2George W. BushsecondJanuary 20, 2005 - January 20, 2009GWB 1George W. BushfirstJanuary 20, 2001 - January 20, 2005WJC 2Bill ClintonsecondJanuary 20, 1997 - January 20, 2001WJC 1Bill ClintonfirstJanuary 20, 1993 - January 20, 1997GHWBGeorge H. W. BushonlyJanuary 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993RWR 2Ronald ReagansecondJanuary 20, 1985 - January 20, 1989RWR 1Ronald ReaganfirstJanuary 20, 1981 - January 20, 1985JECJimmy CarteronlyJanuary 20, 1977 - January 20, 1981RMN/GRFRichard Nixon and Gerald FordsplitJanuary 20, 1973 - January 20, 1977RMN 1Richard NixonfirstJanuary 20, 1969 - January 20, 1973LBJ 2Lyndon B. JohnsonsecondJanuary 20, 1965 - January 20, 1969JFK/LBJJohn F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. JohnsonsplitJanuary 20, 1961 - January 20, 1965DDE 2Dwight EisenhowersecondJanuary 20, 1957 - January 20, 1961DDE 1Dwight EisenhowerfirstJanuary 20, 1953 - January 20, 1957HST 2Harry TrumansecondJanuary 20, 1949 - January 20, 1953FDR/HSTFranklin Roosevelt and Harry TrumansplitJanuary 20, 1945 - January 20, 1949FDR 3Franklin RooseveltthirdJanuary 20, 1941 - January 20, 1945FDR 2Franklin RooseveltsecondJanuary 20, 1937 - January 20, 1941FDR 1Franklin RooseveltfirstMarch 4, 1933 - January 20, 1937HCHHerbert HooveronlyMarch 4, 1929 - March 4, 1933JCC 2Calvin CoolidgesecondMarch 4, 1925 - March 4, 1929WGH/JCCWarren G. Harding and Calvin CoolidgesplitMarch 4, 1921 - March 4, 1925TWW 2Woodrow WilsonsecondMarch 4, 1917 - March 4, 1921TWW 1Woodrow WilsonfirstMarch 4, 1913 - March 4, 1917WHTWilliam Howard TaftonlyMarch 4, 1909 - March 4, 1913TR 2Theodore RooseveltsecondMarch 4, 1905 - March 4, 1909WMK/TRWilliam McKinley and Theodore RooseveltsplitMarch 4, 1901 - March 4, 1905WMK 1William McKinleyfirstMarch 4, 1897 - March 4, 1901SGC 2Grover ClevelandsecondMarch 4, 1893 - March 4, 1897BHBenjamin HarrisononlyMarch 4, 1889 - March 4, 1893SGC 1Grover ClevelandfirstMarch 4, 1885 - March 4, 1889JAG/CAAJames A. Garfield and Chester A. ArthursplitMarch 4, 1881 - March 4, 1885RBHRutherford B. HayesonlyMarch 4, 1877 - March 4, 1881USG 2Ulysses S. GrantsecondMarch 4, 1873 - March 4, 1877USG 1Ulysses S. GrantfirstMarch 4, 1869 - March 4, 1873AL/AJAbraham Lincoln and Andrew JohnsonsplitMarch 4, 1865 - March 4, 1869AL 1Abraham LincolnfirstMarch 4, 1861 - March 4, 1865

Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States was established by the Constitution of the United States. Originally, the Judiciary Act of 1789 set the number of justices at six. However, as the nation's boundaries grew across the continent and as Supreme Court justices in those days had to ride the circuit, an arduous process requiring long travel on horseback or carriage over harsh terrain that resulted in months-long extended stays away from home, Congress added justices to correspond with the growth: seven in 1807, nine in 1837, and ten in 1863.Federal Judiciary Act (1789), National Archives and Records Administration, retrieved September 12, 2017 The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 then set the number to gradually be reduced to seven through the retirement or death of current associate justices. The court was down to eight when the Judiciary Act of 1869 restored the number to nine.

: Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ DDE2 DDE1Current963——13—22———1—————————2025963——13—22———1—————————2021963———3—22——11—————————20179441————22——211————————2013954—————22——212————————2009972——————2——222——1—————2005972—————————2231—1—————2001972—————————2231—1—————1997972—————————2231—1—————1993981——————————231—11—1——1989972———————————31—1111—11985972————————————1—1411—11981972——————————————141111

Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ DDE2 DDE1 HST2 FDR/HST FDR 3 FDR 2 FDR 1 HCH JCC2 WGH/JCC TWW 2 TWW 1 WHT1977972—141111———————————1973963——41111———1———————1969945———2113———2———————1965945————2131——2———————1961954—————231——3———————1957936——————311—4———————1953909———————2214———————1949909————————225———————1945927—————————35—1—————1941936——————————5—21——1—1937972————————————312—211933972————————————312—21

Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant JCC2 WGH/JCC TWW2 TWW1 WHT TR2 WMK/TR WMK1 SGC 2 BH SGC 1 JAG/CAA RBH USG2 USG 1 AL /AJ AL 11929972—14—21—1——————————1925972——4—21—11—————————1921963————33—21—————————1917963————33—21—————————1913990—————6—21—————————1909963——————121211—1————1905963———————21221—1————1901963————————123111————1897963—————————23111———11893972——————————4221———11889972———————————231—1—21885990————————————3211—2

Courts of appeals The United States courts of appeals were established by the Judiciary Act of 1891 as "United States circuit courts of appeals" (the name was changed to its current form in 1948). The act authorized 19 appellate judgeships in 9 circuits. Since then, the number of authorized appellate judgeships has increased to 179.

Summary of 13 circuits combined : Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT 1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ DDE2 DDE1Current1799287-104452221213872432———————202517988883—44532213151172432———————202117996812—— 53242617151714542———————2017179729017———25282326221497611—————2013179847817————30243026171210751—————2009*1781006612—————243234252115771—————2005179946916——————35352529208911————2001179767825———————35293528111411————19971791055321————————294045142232111—19931791194218—————————4050204053111—1989168966210——————————502653910811—1985168667626———————————335715171451—198114050864————————————59163019821 There were temporarily 178 appellate federal judgeships, due to the elimination of a 12th seat on the D.C. Circuit by Section 509 of the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007. That Act also provided for the creation of a 29th seat on the Ninth Circuit in January 2009 which increased the number of authorized appellate judgeships back to 179.

: Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT 1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ DDE2 DDE1Current100%51%49%—6%24%29%12%7%7%4%4%1%2%2%1%———————2025100%49%49%2%—24%30%12%7%8%6%4%1%2%2%1%———————2021100%54%45%1%——30%13%15%9%8%9%8%3%2%1%———————2017100%40%50%9%———14%16%13%15%12%8%5%4%3%1%1%—————2013100%47%44%9%————17%13%17%15%9%7%6%4%3%1%—————2009100%56%37%7%—————13%18%19%14%12%8%4%4%1%—————2005100%53%39%9%——————20%20%14%16%11%4%5%1%1%————2001100%42%44%14%———————20%16%20%16%6%8%1%1%————1997100%59%30%12%————————16%22%25%8%12%2%1%1%1%1%—1993100%67%23%10%—————————22%28%11%22%3%2%1%1%1%—1989100%57%37%6%——————————30%16%32%5%6%5%1%1%—1985100%39%45%16%———————————20%34%9%10%8%3%1%—1981100%36%61%3%————————————42%11%21%14%6%1%1%

Partisan mix of the circuit courts : AppealsCourt Total number of seats Percentageof occupied seatsappointedbyRepublicans Percentageof occupied seatsappointedbyDemocrats Republican/Democrat/vacant Percentageof total seatsappointedbyRepublicans Percentageof total seatsappointedbyDemocrats Percentageof total seatscurrentlyvacant1st617%83%1 / 5 / 017%83%0%2nd1346%54%6 / 7 / 046%54%0%3rd1457%43%8 / 6 / 057%43%0%4th1540%60%6 / 9 / 040%60%0%5th1771%29%12 / 5 / 071%29%0%6th1663%38%10 / 6 / 063%38%0%7th1155%45%6 / 5 / 055%45%0%8th1191%9%10 / 1 / 091%9%0%9th2945%55%13 / 16 / 045%55%0%10th1242%58%5 / 7 / 042%58%0%11th1258%42%7 / 5 / 058%42%0%D.C.1136%64%4 / 7 / 036%64%0%Federal1233%67%4 / 8 / 033%67%0%Total of 13 circuits 179 51% 49% 92 / 87 / 0 51% 49% 0%

First Circuit : Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2Current615—14—1————————————20256051—4—1————————————20216141———21—1—1———————2017624————21—1—1——1————20136321————1—1—11—1————20096321——————1111—1————2005642———————111111————2001642————————11211————1997651—————————1311————1993651——————————3111———1989633———————————112—1119856231———————————12—111981413—————————————2—11

Second Circuit : Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ Current1367—165—1————————————20251367——65—11———————————20211376———5—31121————————201713472————412211———————20131358—————513211———————200913661—————14421———————20051367———————4522———————2001132101———————542——1————199713562————————43112————1993131021—————————33321———198913931——————————342111—198513742———————————422111198111641————————————22411

Third Circuit : Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 Current1486—2343—2——————————202514662—343—2——————————20211486———4313111———————201714572———323211———————201314671————23231—1—1———200914662—————3241—1—1———200514761——————44121—1———200114662———————412311———1997141121————————13711———1993141112—————————3711———19891293———————————712—11198512642———————————1214219811064—————————————2152

Fourth Circuit : Year Total AppointedbyRepublicans AppointedbyDemocrats Vacant DJT2 JRB DJT1 BHO2 BHO1 GWB2 GWB1 WJC2 WJC1 GHWB RWR2 RWR1 JEC RMN/GRF RMN1 LBJ2 JFK/LBJ DDE2 Current1569——33131—2—1—1——————20251569——33131—2—1—1——————20211569———3151—211—1——————201715510————1512311—1——————201315510—————612311—1——————200915654—————12322—1——————200515852——————232311——1———200115654———————32311——1———199715942————————2411212———199315933—————————411312———19891165———————————124121——19851165————————————34121——19811046—————————————4122—1

Roger Gregory, who was given a one-year recess appointment in Bill Clinton's second term and was subsequently given a lifetime appointment in George W. Bush's first term, is counted as a Clinton appointee on this page.

Fifth Circuit :