U.S. president Joe Biden began his presidency with fewer vacancies to fill than his predecessor. He pledged to nominate people with diverse backgrounds and professional experience; further he pledged to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.

By the end of 2021, 41 judges had been confirmed, the most since Ronald Reagan. By the end of his first year in office, Biden had nominated 73 individuals for federal judgeships, one more than Donald Trump during the same point in his presidency.

List of unsuccessful federal judicial nominations As of January 3, 2025, Biden had made 18 nominations for federal judgeships that were not confirmed by the Senate and were not pending before the Senate. Of these, 3 were withdrawn by President Biden and 15 expired at an adjournment of the Senate. NomineeCourtNominationdateDate offinal actionFinal actionSubsequent federal judicial nominationsSeat filled byCourts of appeals10th Cir.returned to the presidentD. Kan. Richard Federico1st Cir.withdrawn by Pres. Biden Seth AframeAdeel A. Mangi3rd Cir.November 27, 2023January 3, 2025returned to the presidentEmil BoveKarla M. Campbell6th Cir.June 4, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentWhitney HermandorferJulia M. Lipez1st Cir.June 4, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentJoshua DunlapRyan Y. Park4th Cir.July 8, 2024December 12, 2024withdrawn by Pres. Bidenvacancy rescindedDistrict courtsE.D. Wis.returned to the president Byron B. ConwayN.D.N.Y.returned to the presidentAnthony BrindisiE.D. Wash.returned to the presidentRebecca L. PennellD.D.C.returned to the presidentSparkle L. SooknananN.D. Miss.returned to the presidentJames D. Maxwell IIMarian GastonS.D. Cal.returned to the presidentTBDD. Kan.withdrawn by Pres. BidenAnthony J. PowellW.D.N.Y.returned to the presidentMeredith VaccaRebecca S. KanterS.D. Cal.February 1, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentTBDDetra Shaw-WilderS.D. Fla.March 21, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentEd ArtauDanna JacksonD. Mont.April 30, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentWilliam W. MercerSarah NetburnS.D.N.Y.April 30, 2024January 3, 2025returned to the presidentTBD

Supreme Court

Confirmed nominee

Ketanji Brown Jackson (of Washington, D.C.): On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that he would nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to succeed Stephen Breyer as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. At the time of her pending nomination, Jackson was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to which she was appointed by Biden in 2021. On February 28, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell characterized Jackson as "the favored choice of far-left dark money groups that have spent years attacking the legitimacy and structure of the court itself". The Republican National Committee called Jackson "a radical, left-wing activist who would rubber stamp Biden's disastrous agenda". Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who had previously voted in favor of Jackson's confirmation to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, stated that the nomination "means the radical Left has won President Biden over yet again". Her confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee opened on March 21. After the Judiciary Committee deadlocked in an 11–11 vote, her nomination was advanced on April 4 by a 53–47 procedural vote in the Senate. She was subsequently confirmed by the same margin on April 7, 2022.

Appellate nominees

Confirmed nominees

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Julie Rikelman (of Massachusetts): On July 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Rikelman to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. On August 1, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Rikelman to the seat vacated by Judge Sandra Lynch, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. Rikelman was unanimously rated "well qualified" for the judgeship by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees: 117th Congress, American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (last updated December 2022). On September 21, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by several Republican senators over her outspoken advocacy for abortion. Rikelman was also questioned about a law review article she authored discussing appellate decisions permitting mandatory blood collection for DNA testing under the Fourth Amendment, arguing that such mandatory collection was prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. On December 1, 2022, her nomination was deadlocked by the Judiciary Committee by an 11–11 vote. On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the president; she was renominated later the same day. On February 9, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote. On June 15, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on Rikelman's nomination by a 53–45 vote. On June 20, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 51–43 vote. Seth Aframe (of New Hampshire): On October 4, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Aframe to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. President Biden nominated Aframe to the seat vacated by Judge Jeffrey R. Howard, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2022. On November 1, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During his confirmation hearing, Republican senators sought to paint Aframe as being soft on crime, pointing to a 2020 case he tried in which he recommended a 30-year sentence for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a minor. On November 30, 2023, his nomination was favorably reported out of committee by an 11–10 party-line vote. On January 3, 2024, his nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate and he was renominated on January 8, 2024. On January 18, 2024, his nomination was favorably reported out of committee by an 11–10 party-line vote. On May 16, 2024, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 52–43 vote. On May 20, 2024, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 49–40 vote.

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Eunice C. Lee (of New York): On May 12, 2021, President Biden nominated Lee to serve as a United States circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the seat vacated by Judge Robert Katzmann, who assumed senior status on January 21, 2021. On June 9, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing in 2021, she distanced herself from the contents of a letter she wrote as an Ohio State undergrad in 1991, which talks about then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas being a "black conservative." On July 15, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote with Senator Lindsey Graham passed on the vote. On August 5, 2021, the Senate invoked cloture on Lee's nomination by a 50–49 vote, with Senator Graham absent. On August 7, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–47 vote.

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Arianna J. Freeman (of Pennsylvania): On January 19, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Freeman to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. President Biden nominated Freeman to the seat vacated by Judge Theodore McKee, who on July 29, 2021, notified the White House that he intended to assume senior status upon confirmation of his successor. On January 28, 2022, following Justice Stephen Breyer's announcement of his intention to retire as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Freeman was mentioned as one of the potential nominees for a Supreme Court appointment by President Joe Biden. On March 2, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators criticized her work as a public defender. On April 4, 2022, the committee were deadlocked on her nomination by an 11–11 vote. On June 22, 2022, the Senate discharged her nomination from committee by a 50–48 vote. On September 12, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 45–44 vote. On September 13, 2022, the Senate did not confirm her nomination by a 47–50 vote. On September 29, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–47 vote.

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Rachel Bloomekatz (of Ohio): On May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Bloomekatz to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. President Biden nominated Bloomekatz to the seat to be vacated by Judge R. Guy Cole Jr., who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. A hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2022. During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators questioned her about gun control cases and the pro bono work that she had been involved with. On August 4, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee was deadlocked on her nomination by a 10–10–2 vote. On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the president; she was renominated later the same day. On February 9, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote. On July 13, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 50–45 vote, with Senator Joe Manchin voting against the motion to invoke cloture on her nomination. On July 18, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–48 vote, with Senator Joe Manchin voting against confirmation of her nomination. Andre Mathis (of Tennessee): On November 17, 2021, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Mathis to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; his nomination was sent to the Senate the following day. President Biden nominated Mathis to the seat vacated by Judge Bernice B. Donald, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of her successor. On January 3, 2022, his nomination was returned to the president; he was renominated later the same day. On January 12, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During the hearing, Senator Marsha Blackburn said she had "serious concerns" about Mathis' experience and referenced his "rap sheet" due in part to three previous speeding tickets. She stated, "He has a rap sheet with a laundry list of citations, including multiple failures to appear in court. In Tennessee, we expect our judges to respect the law. If Mr. Mathis thought he was above the law before, imagine how he'll conduct himself if he's confirmed as a federal judge." Blackburn and fellow senator Bill Hagerty recommended an alternative pick, Camille McMullen, a Democratic appointee to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals who is also Black. On February 10, 2022, his nomination was reported favorably out of committee in a 12–10 vote. On September 7, 2022, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 48–45 vote. On September 8, 2022, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a 48–47 vote.