AFJ Report Marks Impressive Progress Of President Biden’s Judges
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26, 2023 – In a new report highlighting the first two years of President Biden’s judicial nominees, Alliance for Justice commemorates incredible progress in adding demographically and professionally diverse judges to the federal bench. The Senate confirmed an incredible 97 judges during this period, more than were confirmed during the first two years of either of the previous administrations. Notably, Biden has added more Black women to the circuit courts in the past two years than all other presidents combined, to say nothing of adding the first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the Supreme Court. The report also notes areas of professional and personal diversity that AFJ is eager for the administration to expand on in future nominations.
Here are some other highlights from the report:
Of Biden’s 142 federal judicial nominees:
- 95 are women
- 61 are women of color
- 37 are former public defenders
- 25 are former civil rights lawyers
Of Biden’s 97 confirmed federal judges:
- 73 are women
- 46 are women of color
- 29 are former public defenders
- 12 are former civil rights lawyers
Judges recent presidents nominated in their first two years (counting Supreme, circuit, and district courts):
- Obama: 101
- Trump: 181
- Biden 142 (69 of which were in 2022, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson)
Judges recent presidents saw confirmed in their first two years (counting Supreme, circuit, and district courts):
- Obama: 63
- Trump: 85
- Biden: 97
Alliance for Justice President Rakim H.D. Brooks issued the following statement:
“President Biden and this Senate’s success in transforming our courts cannot be overstated. We are still facing the consequences of the previous administration packing our courts with conservative extremists who are imposing their own will over the safety and civil rights of the public. But we’re coming back! More than ever, these judges look like the people they serve and bring more experience as public defenders and public interest lawyers. And they’ve already begun to answer the Constitution’s call to do justice in their rulings. These judges are restoring confidence in our courts at a time when that faith is understandably at an all-time low. We must continue this progress. Our judiciary must preserve equal justice under the law for all people, not just the wealthy and powerful.”