Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, every President has the power to nominate federal judges—including Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges—who must then be confirmed by the Senate. These are lifetime appointments and positions that have the final say on legal disputes affecting civil rights, federal laws, and constitutional questions.
Federal appeal judges (circuit judges) hold immense power to shape American law, acting as the final arbiter for over 95% of federal cases. Sitting in three-judge panels, they review trial court decisions for legal errors, upholding or reversing them, and establishing binding precedent within their circuit. Since the Supreme Court hears few cases, appellate decisions are usually final word.
Examples: The court ruled that the First Amendment explicitly protects a private citizen's right to record video and audio of police officers conducting their official duties in a public space.
The court ruled that detaining certain long-term immigrants without providing a bond hearing violates their Fifth Amendment due process rights, granting them the ability to argue for release during their deportation proceedings.
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Federal district judges hold significant power as the primary trial courts in the federal system, exercising life-tenured authority to preside over civil and criminal cases.
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They possess considerable discretion to manage trials, rule on evidence, issue nationwide injunctions that can halt government actions, and sentence defendants
Examples: Michael Vick was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring. The judge who sentenced him was a Ronald Reagan appointee.
Judge Aileen Cannon who was appointed by Donald Trump oversaw his trial for mishandling classified documents. She delayed the case past the 2024 presidential election. Now he can not be tried for it due to being a sitting U.S. president.
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U.S. Courts of Appeals (circuit courts) are the last point of review for most federal cases. Only a tiny fraction of their decisions are reviewed by the Supreme Court, meaning appellate rulings are the final word in thousands of cases annually.
Because the U.S. Supreme Court hears fewer than 100 cases annually, the 12 regional circuit courts and the Federal Circuit are the final word in over 50,000+ cases yearly.
They hold the power to influence national policy on matters ranging from labor and consumer rights to constitutional freedoms across their respective regions.
In the last decade, the U.S. Supreme Court has dramatically altered legal precedents, most notably overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) in 2022, removing the constitutional right to abortion. Other major reversals include stripping the voting rights act and overturning affirmative action in college admissions in 2023.
Shelby County v. Holder was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by eliminating critical protections from discrimination. It ruled that states no longer have to get approval from the federal government to change voting rights laws.
Between 2012 and 2018, there were 1,688 polling place closures enacted by Republican election officials in red states.
•At least 250 new laws have been proposed in 43 states to limit mail, early in person and election day voting.
President Biden has appointed 63 Black federal judges to lifetime positions, making his administration the record-holder for the most Black judges in U.S. history. This includes 40 Black women, surpassing the previous record of 26 set by President Obama. His appointments include the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
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Overall Diversity: Biden has appointed over 139 people of color to lifetime judgeships, representing nearly 60% of all his lifetime confirmations.
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Overall Bench Diversity: Over half of Biden's 235 confirmed judges are women and over 60% are people of color.
President Biden has appointed a record-breaking number of federal judges with backgrounds as civil rights lawyers, public defenders, and plaintiff-side attorneys, prioritizing professional and demographic diversity on the bench
The United States Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority ruled that race was used too heavily in designing a Louisiana voting map, effectively shrinking the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The decision limits the Voting Rights Act and makes it harder to challenge discriminatory maps nationwide. This will eliminate black districts in the state and pave the way for more elimination of minority representation across the nation.
The next president might have the power to nominate two United States Supreme Court judges and over 200 lifetime federal judges. These judges will help determine the future of laws in America.
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