Making History: Senate Democrats Have Confirmed 150 Of President Biden’s Diverse And Well-Qualified Judicial Nominees And Confirmed A Record 100 Women To Lifetime Positions On The Federal Bench – Most Of Any President’s First Term In History
Senate Democrats have prioritized the confirmation of President Biden’s judicial nominees – today, this Senate reached two major milestones, confirming President Biden’s 150th judicial nominee – and 100th woman – to the federal bench. The Senate has confirmed more women nominated by President Biden to the federal bench than any previous Senate in any previous President’s first term.
“I am extremely proud of the work we have done to confirm these one hundred fifty judges to the federal bench. This Senate has confirmed one hundred women to the federal bench – nearly double that of President Trump and more than the full first term of any president.” Majority Leader Schumer said. “These nominees are all historic taken together, and many are historic in their own right: we confirmed the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, the first Muslim woman to the federal bench, and much more. This Senate has confirmed more women of color to the bench than any Senate under any previous President. And we aren’t done. We’ll continue to advance judicial nominations on the floor this Congress.”
These well-qualified and historically diverse judges are helping to reshape the federal judiciary, and adding a new breadth of experience to the bench. From civil rights lawyers and defense attorneys to historic firsts like the first Muslim American man and woman confirmed to the federal judiciary, these judges are helping our legal system to better reflect America.
The well-qualified and diverse judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are breaking barriers and making our courts more reflective of America. Of these 150 judicial nominees:
- 100/150 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are women
- 98/150 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are people of color
- 49/150 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Black
- 32/150 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Black women
- 27/150 judicial nominees confirmed by this Senate are Hispanic
In comparison to other presidents’ entire terms:
- This Senate has confirmed more women of color to the bench than any other president’s full time in office.
- This Senate has confirmed more women to judgeships than any Republican president’s full time in office.
- This Senate has confirmed more people of color to Circuit Court judgeships than any other president’s full time in office.
- This Senate has confirmed more Asian and Native women to the federal bench than under any other president’s full time in office.
These 100 women confirmed to the federal judiciary include:
- Roughly two thirds women of color
- The first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court
- The first Muslim American woman on the federal bench
- The first out lesbian to serve on any federal circuit court
- The first Navajo federal judge
These women judges are helping to expand the depth of experience on the judiciary. From Myrna Perez, formerly the director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, to the Innocence Project’s former senior litigation counsel, Nina Morrison, and Julie Rikelman, the attorney who defended the Mississippi clinic in the Dobbs case that ultimately overturned Roe, these judges are adding important, previously underrepresented perspectives to the federal bench.
The Senate will continue to make history this week as we continue to confirm President Biden’s well-qualified judicial nominees.
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