President Biden Has Appointed More Native American And Black Female Federal Judges Than Any President In History, More Asian American Women To The Federal Bench Than All Prior Presidents Combined

     Bolstering professional and personal diversity on not just the federal bench but also in America's legal system as a whole is a key aspect of a more just society for all. Women, black women, Native Americans, Hispanic men and women, and AAPI men and women are underrepresented on the federal bench.

     Of Biden's 81 appointees to the federal bench, 80 percent have been women and the majority have been people of color, making it the most diverse and prolific slate of federal judges in any year in U.S. history. Since taking office, President Biden has appointed three Native Americans to the federal bench, more than any president in U.S. history. At the current rate, he will appoint more Native Americans to the federal bench than all prior presidents combined. (Four were appointed before this: one by Jimmy Carter, one by Bill Clinton, one by Barack Obama, and one by Donald Trump. Interestingly, Carter's appointee did not even learn of his Native American roots until after he had been confirmed.)

     In just his first year, President Biden has appointed more black women to the federal bench than any president in U.S. history: at the current rate, he will appoint more African American federal judges than any president in U.S. history (Bill Clinton currently holds the record with 65) and more black women to the federal bench than all other presidents combined (61).

     The first Asian American federal judge was appointed by Richard Nixon in 1971. As of 2022, the president who has appointed the most AAPI federal judges is Barack Obama, who appointed 26. The first Asian female federal judge was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1998. Since then, 10 AAPI female judges have been appointed by all presidents combined.

     Upon taking office, President Biden needed to appoint six AAPI men to the federal bench to end this disparity. In his first year, he appointed four, meaning that 2022 will likely see AAPI men fully represented on the federal bench. The disparity for AAPI women was double that: 13. Since taking office, President Biden has appointed 10 AAPI women, as many as all other presidents combined. One more will see him having appointed more than all prior presidents combined, while three more will see him having ended the disparity for AAPI women.

     Historically, these individuals have included the first Muslim federal judge, Zahid Quraishi, as well as the second Muslim and first Muslim woman (as well as the first Bangladeshi American), Nusrat Choudhury. 

     Professional diversity is also important: Dale Ho was a voting rights activist before his nomination, Nusrat Choudhury a director at the ACLU, Kenly Kato a public defender and civil rights attorney, Sarala Nagala a hate crimes prosecutor, etc. At this pace, President Biden will drastically change America's federal judiciary, a co-equal branch of government, for the better.