Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

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U.S. Federal Courts
Vacancies and Nominations
Judicial vacancies in federal courts • Judicial vacancies during the Biden administration • Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden • Federal judicial appointments by president • Supreme Court vacancy, 2022
ABA ratings of presidential federal judicial nominees • ABA ratings during the Biden administration • ABA ratings during the Trump administration


Since taking office, President Joe Biden (D) has nominated 81 individuals to federal judgeships on Article III courts. As of January 20, 2022, 42 of the nominees have been confirmed.[1]

Ballotpedia publishes the federal vacancy count report tracking vacancies, nominations, and confirmations to all United States Article III federal courts each month. In the most recent report covering activity in December 2021, there were 74 Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary. Of those vacancies, 25 had pending nominations. To learn more about current vacancies in the federal judiciary, click here.

On January 27, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) and United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced Breyer would retire at the start of the court's summer recess, which typically takes place in late June or early July.[2][3] NBC News had previously reported the retirement on January 26.[4] Click here to read more.

This page provides an overview of the status of federal judicial nominees appointed by President Joe Biden (D). This page also provides additional procedural and historical context about Biden's judicial nominees and the nomination records of previous presidents, including the following information:

The list of nominees is updated daily, and the comparisons are updated monthly.

Appointments by court type

The following chart from the monthly federal vacancy count report for January 1, 2022, details the number of appointments made by President Biden to each type of Article III federal court since taking office. This chart is updated at the start of each month with new appointments data.




Historical context

Appointments since Theodore Roosevelt

See also: Federal judicial appointments by president

The following chart shows the total judgeship appointments made by each president from 1901 to 2021.

The following chart shows the judgeship appointments by court made by each president from 1901 to 2021. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is abbreviated as USCAFC. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims, previously known as the U.S. Court of Claims, is abbreviated USCFC.

The following chart shows the average number of judicial appointments per year in office by presidents from 1901 to 2021.


The chart below shows the number of appeals court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through January 1 of the second year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Trump had made the most appeals court appointments with 12, followed by President Biden with 11. President Reagan had eight, President W. Bush had six, President H.W. Bush had five, and Presidents Clinton and Obama had three.


The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through January 1 of the second year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Reagan made the most district court appointments with 32. President Biden made 29, the second most for the presidents under study for this period. President Trump had appointed the fewest with six.


Vacancies by month

The following chart shows the total number of judicial vacancies at the start of each month under the Biden administration beginning in January 2021. This number comes from vacancies in the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court.[5] This chart is updated at the start of each month with new vacancy data.

Nominations and confirmations by month

At the start of each month, Ballotpedia charts the number of new nominations, confirmations, and ongoing nominations during the Biden administration. These numbers come from nominations and confirmations in the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Supreme Court. The ongoing nominations figures are calculated using the number of nominees awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. This chart is updated at the start of each month with new nominations and confirmations data.



Current judicial vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are 77 current Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary of 870 total Article III judgeships. Including non-Article III judges from the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States territorial courts, there are 79 vacancies out of 890 active federal judicial positions.

Article III judges serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. They are appointed for life terms. A vacancy occurs when a judge resigns, retires, takes senior status, or passes away. In the event of a scheduled upcoming vacancy, the president may submit a nomination to the U.S. Senate prior to the vacancy taking effect.

There are five key steps in the vacancy process: a presidential nomination, a U.S. Senate committee hearing, a vote by a U.S. Senate committee to report the nominee to the full Senate, a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate, and a confirmed nominee taking their judicial oath and receiving their judicial commission.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • There are currently 18 Article III nominees awaiting a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • There are currently 4 Article III nominees awaiting a committee vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • There are currently 17 Article III nominees awaiting a confirmation vote in the full U.S. Senate.

    • The map below details the percentage of vacant seats in each federal district court. This map is updated on the second business day of each month. Ballotpedia considers a vacancy to be filled once the confirmed nominee has received commission.

    Status of Article III judicial nominees appointed by Biden

    The sections below group Biden's Article III judicial nominees by which step of the process they are on: confirmed by the U.S. Senate, awaiting a vote by the full Senate, awaiting a vote in committee, and awaiting a hearing before the committee. Click the arrows at the top of each table to sort by name, court, or the date of an individual's formal nomination. For a list of non-Article III nominees, click here.

    Confirmed to their positions

    Nominees in this table have been confirmed by the full United States Senate. So far, 40 Biden nominees have been confirmed by the Senate.

    NomineeCourtFirst nominationConfirmation
    Maame Ewusi-Mensah FrimpongUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaSeptember 20, 2021December 17, 2021
    Jennifer SungUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJuly 13, 2021December 15, 2021
    Katherine MenendezUnited States District Court for the District of MinnesotaSeptember 20, 2021December 18, 2021
    Samantha ElliottUnited States District Court for the District of New HampshireSeptember 30, 2021December 15, 2021
    Mary DimkeUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of WashingtonAugust 5, 2021December 18, 2021
    Linda Lopez (California)United States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaSeptember 30, 2021December 17, 2021
    Shalina KumarUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of MichiganJuly 13, 2021December 17, 2021
    Jane BeckeringUnited States District Court for the Western District of MichiganJuly 13, 2021December 17, 2021
    Jinsook OhtaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaSeptember 30, 2021December 17, 2021
    Jennifer L. ThurstonUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaSeptember 20, 2021December 17, 2021
    David Herrera UriasUnited States District Court for the District of New MexicoSeptember 20, 2021December 17, 2021
    Michael NachmanoffUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaJuly 13, 2021October 27, 2021
    Gabriel SanchezUnited States Court of Appeals for the 9th CircuitSeptember 20, 2021January 12, 2022
    Holly ThomasUnited States Court of Appeals for the 9th CircuitSeptember 20, 2021January 20, 2022
    Sarah A.L. MerriamUnited States District Court for the District of ConnecticutJune 15, 2021October 6, 2021
    Regina RodriguezUnited States District Court for the District of ColoradoApril 19, 2021June 8, 2021
    Omar A. WilliamsUnited States District Court for the District of ConnecticutJune 15, 2021October 28, 2021
    Lydia Kay GriggsbyUnited States District Court for the District of MarylandApril 19, 2021June 16, 2021
    Lucy H. KohUnited States Court of Appeals for the 9th CircuitSeptember 20, 2021December 13, 2021
    Karen Williams (New Jersey)United States District Court for the District of New JerseyMay 12, 2021October 26, 2021
    Julien Xavier NealsUnited States District Court for the District of New JerseyApril 19, 2021June 8, 2021
    Gustavo GelpíUnited States Court of Appeals for the 1st CircuitMay 12, 2021October 18, 2021
    Florence PanUnited States District Court for the District of ColumbiaJune 15, 2021September 23, 2021
    David G. EstudilloUnited States District Court for the Western District of WashingtonApril 29, 2021September 14, 2021
    Beth RobinsonUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitAugust 5, 2021November 1, 2021
    Angel KelleyUnited States District Court for the District of MassachusettsMay 12, 2021September 14, 2021
    Patricia Tolliver GilesUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaJuly 13, 2021October 26, 2021
    Toby HeytensUnited States Court of Appeals for the 4th CircuitJuly 13, 2021November 1, 2021
    Myrna PérezUnited States Court of Appeals for the 2nd CircuitJune 15, 2021October 25, 2021
    Jia CobbUnited States District Court for the District of ColumbiaJune 15, 2021October 26, 2021
    Sarala NagalaUnited States District Court for the District of ConnecticutJune 15, 2021October 27, 2021
    Veronica RossmanUnited States Court of Appeals for the 10th CircuitMay 12, 2021September 20, 2021
    Christine O'HearnUnited States District Court for the District of New JerseyApril 29, 2021October 19, 2021
    Margaret StricklandUnited States District Court for the District of New MexicoApril 19, 2021September 21, 2021
    Tiffany CunninghamUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitApril 19, 2021July 19, 2021
    Zahid QuraishiUnited States District Court for the District of New JerseyApril 19, 2021June 10, 2021
    Deborah BoardmanUnited States District Court for the District of MarylandApril 19, 2021June 23, 2021
    Ketanji Brown JacksonUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitApril 19, 2021June 14, 2021
    Eunice LeeUnited States Court of Appeals for the 2nd CircuitMay 12, 2021August 9, 2021
    Candace Jackson-AkiwumiUnited States Court of Appeals for the 7th CircuitApril 19, 2021June 24, 2021

    Waiting for vote in Senate

    Nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the full United States Senate following committee consideration. Number of nominees awaiting a Senate vote: 17

    NomineeCourtFirst nominationCommittee vote
    Jacqueline Scott CorleyUnited States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaNovember 3, 2021January 13, 2022
    Bridget BrennanUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OhioSeptember 30, 2021December 16, 2021 (first) / January 13, 2022 (second)
    David A. Ruiz (Ohio)United States District Court for the Northern District of OhioSeptember 30, 2021December 16, 2021 (first) / January 13, 2022 (second)
    Charles Fleming (Ohio)United States District Court for the Northern District of OhioSeptember 30, 2021December 16, 2021 (first) / January 13, 2022 (second)
    Victoria CalvertUnited States District Court for the Northern District of GeorgiaSeptember 30, 2021January 20, 2022
    Georgette CastnerUnited States District Court for the District of New JerseyNovember 3, 2021January 20, 2022
    John ChunUnited States District Court for the Western District of WashingtonSeptember 30, 2021December 16, 2021 (first) / January 20, 2022 (second)
    Sarah GeraghtyUnited States District Court for the Northern District of GeorgiaSeptember 30, 2021January 20, 2022
    Ruth Bermudez MontenegroUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaNovember 3, 2021January 20, 2022
    Julie RubinUnited States District Court for the District of MarylandNovember 3, 2021January 20, 2022
    Cristina SilvaUnited States District Court for the District of NevadaNovember 3, 2021January 20, 2022
    Anne TraumUnited States District Court for the District of NevadaNovember 3, 2021January 20, 2022
    Charlotte SweeneyUnited States District Court for the District of ColoradoAugust 5, 2021December 2, 2021[6] (first) / January 20, 2022[7] (second)
    Dale HoUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkSeptember 30, 2021January 20, 2022[8]
    Hernan D. VeraUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaSeptember 20, 2021December 2, 2021[9] (first) / January 20, 2022[10] (second)
    Leonard StarkUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitNovember 3, 2021January 13, 2022
    Alison J. NathanUnited States Court of Appeals for the 2nd CircuitNovember 18, 2021January 20, 2022

    Waiting for committee vote

    The nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the appropriate U.S. Senate committee following the hearing. Number of nominees awaiting a vote: 4

    NomineeCourtFirst nominationCommittee hearing
    Andre MathisUnited States Court of Appeals for the 6th CircuitNovember 18, 2021January 12, 2022
    Hector Gonzalez (New York)United States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkDecember 15, 2021January 12, 2022
    Fred W. SlaughterUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaDecember 15, 2021January 12, 2022
    Jessica ClarkeUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkDecember 15, 2021January 12, 2022

    Waiting for committee hearing

    Note: Individuals without a date in the "first nomination" column have been announced as nominees by Biden but not yet formally nominated.

    The nominees in this table are awaiting hearing in a U.S. Senate committee. Number of nominees awaiting hearing: 18

    NomineeCourtFirst nomination
    Evelyn PadinUnited States District Court for the District of New JerseyDecember 15, 2021
    William PocanUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of WisconsinDecember 15, 2021
    Jennifer RochonUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkDecember 15, 2021
    Nina MorrisonUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkDecember 15, 2021
    Sherilyn P. GarnettUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaDecember 15, 2021
    Kenly Kiya KatoUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaDecember 15, 2021
    Sunshine S. SykesUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaDecember 15, 2021
    Trina ThompsonUnited States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaNovember 3, 2021
    Nancy Gbana AbuduUnited States Court of Appeals for the 11th CircuitJanuary 10, 2022
    Tiffany CartwrightUnited States District Court for the Western District of WashingtonJanuary 19, 2022
    Robert HuieUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaJanuary 19, 2022
    Arianna FreemanUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third CircuitJanuary 19, 2022
    Ana de AlbaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaJanuary 19, 2022
    Natasha MerleUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkJanuary 19, 2022
    Nusrat ChoudhuryUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkJanuary 19, 2022
    Jennifer ReardenUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkJanuary 19, 2022
    Nina Y. WangUnited States District Court for the District of ColoradoJanuary 19, 2022
    J. Michelle ChildsUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitJanuary 10, 2022

    Timeline

    The following timeline of President Biden's nominations to Article III federal courts since taking office is updated at the start of each month.[11]

    December 2021

    In December, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    November 2021

    In November, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    October 2021

    In October, Biden did not announce his intent to nominate any individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts.

    September 2021

    In September, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    August 2021

    In August, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    July 2021

    In July, Biden did not announce his intent to nominate any individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts.

    June 2021

    In June, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    May 2021

    In May, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    April 2021

    In April, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    March 2021

    In March, Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts:

    February 2021

    In February, Biden did not announce his intent to nominate any individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts.

    January 2021

    In January, Biden did not announce his intent to nominate any individuals to Article III seats in the federal courts.


    Non-Article III judicial nominees

    See also: Article I tribunal and United States territorial courts

    Nominees to Article I tribunals, the United States territorial courts, or to courts with general jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Unlike Article III judges, these judges do not serve for life.

    The sections below group Biden's non-Article III judicial nominees by which step of the process they are on: confirmed by the U.S. Senate, awaiting a vote by the full Senate, awaiting a vote in committee, and awaiting a hearing before the committee. Click the arrows at the top of each table to sort by name, court, or the date of an individual's formal nomination. For a list of Article III nominees, click here.

    Confirmed to their positions

    Nominees in this table have been confirmed by the full United States Senate. So far, 2 Biden nominees for non-Article III courts have been confirmed by the Senate.

    NomineeCourtFirst nomination
    Armando Omar BonillaUnited States Court of Federal ClaimsOctober 5, 2021
    Carolyn LernerUnited States Court of Federal ClaimsJuly 13, 2021

    Waiting for vote in Senate

    Nominees in this table are awaiting a vote in the full United States Senate following committee consideration. Number of non-Article III nominees awaiting a Senate vote: 9

    NomineeCourtFirst nomination
    Rupa Ranga PuttaguntaSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaApril 19, 2021
    Kenia Seoane LópezSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaJune 15, 2021
    Sean StaplesSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaJuly 13, 2021
    D.W. TunnageSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaSeptember 30, 2021
    Ebony ScottSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaSeptember 30, 2021
    John Howard (District of Columbia)District of Columbia Court of AppealsAugust 5, 2021
    Loren AliKhanDistrict of Columbia Court of AppealsSeptember 30, 2021
    Tovah CalderonDistrict of Columbia Court of AppealsJune 15, 2021
    Adrienne NotiSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaSeptember 30, 2021

    Waiting for committee vote

    No nominees are awaiting a vote in committee.

    Waiting for committee hearing

    The nominees in this table are awaiting hearing in a U.S. Senate committee. Number of non-Article III nominees awaiting hearing: 5

    NomineeCourtFirst nomination
    Kendra BriggsSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaNovember 3, 2021
    Leslie MeekSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaDecember 15, 2021
    Carl RossSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaDecember 15, 2021
    M. Tia JohnsonUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed ForcesJanuary 7, 2022
    Errol R. ArthurSuperior Court of the District of ColumbiaDecember 15, 2021

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ These figures are limited to Article III judges. Article III judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution. They serve for life.
    2. ↑ United States Supreme Court, "Letter to President," January 27, 2022
    3. ↑ YouTube, "President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer," January 27, 2022
    4. ↑ NBC News, "Justice Stephen Breyer to retire from Supreme Court, paving way for Biden appointment," January 26, 2022
    5. ↑ United States Courts, "Archive of Judicial Vacancies," accessed February 2, 2021
    6. ↑ Sweeney received a 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
    7. ↑ Sweeney received a 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
    8. ↑ Ho received a 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
    9. ↑ Vera received a 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
    10. ↑ Vera received a 11-11 tie committee vote and was not reported favorably to the full Senate. Click here for more details.
    11. ↑ Note: This timeline tracks nominations using the date of the nomination announcement. This date may differ from the official nomination date when the U.S. Senate receives the official nomination from the president.
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