Senate set to confirm 200th federal judge under Biden as Democrats surpass Trump’s pace

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is set to confirm the 200th federal judge of President Joe Biden’s tenure on Wednesday, about a month earlier than then-President Donald Trump hit that mark, though Trump still holds the edge when it comes to the most impactful confirmations — those to the U.S. Supreme Court and the country’s 13 appellate courts.

The march to 200 will culminate with the confirmation of Angela Martinez to serve as a federal district judge in Arizona. The milestone reflects the importance that Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer placed on judicial confirmations after Trump put his enormous stamp on the federal judiciary with the confirmation of three Supreme Court justices.

“It’s a figure — 200 — that we can all be proud of and shows how intensely focused we are on filling the bench with jurists that will make our democracy stronger and uphold the rule of law,” Schumer said.

The current pace of judicial confirmations for this White House came despite Biden coming into office in 2021 with far fewer vacancies, particularly in the influential appellate courts, than Trump did in 2017.

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