Biden Judges
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the chart above, what percent of President Biden’s appointments to the federal judiciary have been people of color?
According to the data from the chart above, what percent of President Biden’s appointments to the federal judiciary have been women?
How does the racial and gender diversity of President Biden’s first year judicial appointments compare to the diversity of his presidential predecessors?
What do you think is the main cause of that difference?
When former President Donald Trump left office in January, one of the most formidable aspects of his legacy was his imprint on the federal courts. In Trump’s four years in the White House, he appointed three Supreme Court justices, 54 appeals court judges and 174 district court judges, filling the judiciary with a raft of conservatives who were mostly white men. What is the most important consequence of Biden appointing a more diverse bench (federal court judges)?
Nearly all of Biden’s judicial nominees so far are from blue states (see graphic below*), which makes sense given that he’s mostly replacing judges appointed by other Democratic presidents who are choosing to retire. Biden has flipped a couple of important seats, including replacing a Republican-appointed judge on the right-leaning 7th Circuit Court of Appeals with Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, a Black former federal defender. But for the most part, he’s making areas of the country that were already dominated by liberal judges even more liberal. Explain whether Biden’s judicial nominations will lead to political unity or division.
Make a claim about whether having a more demographically representative court is good for the United States.
When President Biden nominates someone for the federal courts who must approve that nominee?
Interestingly, Biden’s presidential ticket was the first Democratic ticket since 1984 to feature two candidates who didn’t graduate from an Ivy League school. Based on the data in the chart below, how has the education of a judicial nominee influenced Biden’s choices?*
According to the data from the chart below, how has the professional background of nominees changed during Biden’s first year of judicial nominations?*
Learning Extension
Read the entire Five Thirty Eight report on the diversity of the Biden nominations.
Action Extension
Contact President Biden and share your opinion on his first year judicial nominations.
