Senate confirms Biden’s 235th judge, beating Trump’s tally

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency Friday – a milestone that exceeds his predecessor’s total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis on the federal courts following Donald Trump's far-reaching first term, when he filled three seats on the Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., teed up votes on two California district judges, and the confirmation of Serena Raquel Murillo to be a district judge for the Central District of California broke Trump's mark.

The latest confirmation Friday may be Biden's last, meaning he will leave office having secured one Supreme Court justice, 45 appeals court judges, 187 district court judges and two judges on the U.S. Court of International Trade. 

"These men and women represent the best of America. They are all highly qualified. And they have had distinguished legal, judicial, and academic careers," Biden said in a statement Friday. "When I ran for President, I promised to build a bench that looks like America and reflects the promise of our nation. And I’m proud I kept my commitment to bolstering confidence in judicial decision-making and outcomes." 

FILE: President Joe Biden speaks at an event. (Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

He continued: The 235 confirmed judges include a record number of judges with backgrounds and experiences that have long been overlooked: advocates for civil rights, workers’ rights, immigrants’ rights, and more."

Biden and Senate Democrats placed particular focus on adding women, minorities and public defenders to the judicial rank. About two-thirds of Biden's appointees are women and a solid majority of appointees are people of color. The most notable appointee was Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American woman to serve on the nation's highest court.