List of presidents of the United States by judicial appointments - wikipedia List of presidents of the United States by judicial appointments As the first president, George Washington appointed the entire federal judiciary. His record of eleven Supreme Court appointments still stands. President Ronald Reagan appointed 382 federal judges, more than any other president. Following is a list indicating the number of Article III federal judicial appointments made by each President of the United States. The number of judicial offices has risen significantly from the time when Washington 's 39 appointments were sufficient to maintain the entire federal judiciary for eight years. As of March 2015, there are 870 authorized Article III judgeships - 9 on the Supreme Court, 179 on the Courts of Appeals, 673 for the district courts and 9 on the United States Court of International Trade. To date, Ronald Reagan has appointed the largest number of federal judges, with 382, followed closely by Bill Clinton with 378. William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after his inauguration, is the only president to have appointed no federal judges. Contents 1 How appointments are counted 2 Judicial appointments by president 3 Article I appointments 4 Notes 5 Sources How appointments are counted In many instances, the number of judgeships appointed is fewer than the number of people appointed as judges, because a president may appoint the same person as a judge to different courts over the course of his presidency. For example, George W. Bush appointed John G. Roberts to the D.C. Circuit, and later appointed him to the Supreme Court. There are also instances in which an individual is appointed to multiple district courts in a single state. As recently as 2001, George W. Bush appointed James H. Payne to the Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of Oklahoma. In some rare instances, a federal judge resigns their judgeship, and is later reappointed to a federal judgeship - possibly even to the same court - by a different president. A noted example of this is that of Charles Evans Hughes, who resigned from the United States Supreme Court to run for president against Woodrow Wilson, and was later returned to the Court as Chief Justice of the United States by Herbert Hoover. Another rare situation occurs where a court that has not been specifically designated as an Article III court is transformed into an Article III court. This occurred in 1958 when the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals was changed from an Article I court to an Article III court. In that case, judges who were not initially appointed to an Article III court may become Article III judges without being specifically appointed by the sitting president, or approved by the sitting Senate. However, judges on such bodies have previously been appointed to Article I courts by the president, and those appointments have been approved by the Senate, which must also vote in favor of the legislation that would change the status of such judges. Appointments to Article I courts are not counted in each president 's total number of appointments. The list does not include nominees who were rejected by Congress before having served, but does include the twenty - two recess appointments who were not confirmed by the Senate after having served for some period. The most famous instance of such a post-appointment rejection is that of George Washington 's recess appointment of John Rutledge as Chief Justice during a congressional recess in July, 1795. Because of Rutledge 's political views and occasional mental illness, the Senate rejected his nomination in December of that year, and Rutledge subsequently attempted suicide and then resigned. Judicial appointments by president Since appointees to the short lived United States Commerce Court were duly appointed as United States Circuit Judges, they are counted as Circuit Judges. Those individuals appointed to the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and the United States Court of Claims during the period those courts existed as Article III Courts are counted as Circuit Judges. Individuals appointed to the United States Customs Court during its existence as an Article III Court and to the United States Court of International Trade are counted as District Judges. President Supreme Court Justices Circuit Judges District Judges Total Washington, George George Washington 11 0 28 39 Adams, John John Adams 15 22 Jefferson, Thomas Thomas Jefferson 7 9 19 Madison, James James Madison 9 13 Monroe, James James Monroe 0 21 22 Adams, John Quincy John Quincy Adams 0 11 12 Jackson, Andrew Andrew Jackson 5 0 18 23 Van Buren, Martin Martin Van Buren 0 8 11 Harrison, William Henry William Henry Harrison 0 0 0 0 Tyler, John John Tyler 0 6 7 Polk, James K. James K. Polk 7 10 Taylor, Zachary Zachary Taylor 0 0 Fillmore, Millard Millard Fillmore 0 5 6 Pierce, Franklin Franklin Pierce 12 16 Buchanan, James James Buchanan 0 7 8 Lincoln, Abraham Abraham Lincoln 5 0 27 32 Johnson, Andrew Andrew Johnson 0 0 9 9 Grant, Ulysses S. Ulysses S. Grant 10 32 46 Hayes, Rutherford B. Rutherford B. Hayes 16 22 Garfield, James A. James A. Garfield 5 Arthur, Chester A. Chester A. Arthur 14 20 Cleveland, Grover Grover Cleveland 11 30 45 Harrison, Benjamin Benjamin Harrison 12 26 42 McKinley, William William McKinley 6 28 35 Roosevelt, Theodore Theodore Roosevelt 19 58 80 Taft, William Howard William Howard Taft 5 13 38 56 Wilson, Woodrow Woodrow Wilson 20 52 75 Harding, Warren G. Warren G. Harding 6 42 52 Coolidge, Calvin Calvin Coolidge 17 64 82 Hoover, Herbert Herbert Hoover 16 43 62 Roosevelt, Franklin D. Franklin D. Roosevelt 8 51 133 192 Truman, Harry S. Harry S. Truman 27 102 133 Eisenhower, Dwight D. Dwight D. Eisenhower 5 49 128 182 Kennedy, John F. John F. Kennedy 22 102 126 Johnson, Lyndon B. Lyndon B. Johnson 46 136 184 Nixon, Richard Richard Nixon 51 180 235 Ford, Gerald Gerald Ford 12 52 65 Carter, Jimmy Jimmy Carter 0 59 203 262 Reagan, Ronald Ronald Reagan 83 296 382 Bush, George H.W. George H.W. Bush 42 149 193 Clinton, Bill Bill Clinton 66 310 378 Bush, George W. George W. Bush 62 263 327 Obama, Barack Barack Obama 55 272 329 Trump, Donald Donald Trump 21 17 39 TOTAL 115 813 2,974 3,902 Article I appointments The appointment of Article I judges is more difficult to count, because a large number of positions appointed by the president have quasi-judicial functions. Some Article I judges, however, are clearly designated, such as the judges of the United States Court of Claims, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. As with Article III judges, the number of Article I appointees that could be characterized as judges increased substantially beginning in the twentieth century. Notes ^ Jump up to : Also elevated a sitting Associate Justice to Chief Justice of the United States. Sources Federal Judicial Center United States Courts : Judgeship Appointments by President United States Presidents and the judiciary Supreme Court candidates and nomination results All Supreme Court nominations Wilson Harding Coolidge Hoover F. Roosevelt Truman Eisenhower Kennedy L. Johnson Nixon Ford Carter Reagan G.H.W. Bush Clinton G.W. Bush Obama Trump All presidential judicial appointments Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts Washington J. Adams Jefferson Madison Monroe J.Q. Adams Jackson Van Buren W. Harrison Tyler Polk Taylor Fillmore Pierce Buchanan Lincoln A. Johnson Grant Hayes Garfield Arthur Cleveland ( I ) B. Harrison Cleveland ( II ) McKinley T. Roosevelt Taft Wilson Harding Coolidge Hoover F. Roosevelt Truman Eisenhower Kennedy L. Johnson Nixon Ford Carter Reagan G.H.W. Bush Clinton G.W. Bush Obama Trump Appointment controversies L. Johnson Nixon Ford Carter Reagan G.H.W. Bush Clinton G.W. Bush Obama Trump List of Presidents of the United States by judicial appointments Unsuccessful Supreme Court nominations Supreme Court demographics Lists related to the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States List of Presidents List of Vice Presidents Presidents Age Autobiographies Burial places Death Historical rankings Lifespan timeline Number living Time in office Portraits Professional careers Approval rating Assassination attempts and plots Campaign slogans Control of Congress Doctrines Inaugurations International trips Judicial appointments Libraries Military rank Military service Other offices held Pardons Previous experience Vetoes Personal life Coats of arms Deaths in office Education Facial hair Firsts Freemasons Multilingualism Net worth Nicknames Pets Home state Previous occupation Religious affiliation Residences Slave owners Vice Presidents Age Burial places Coats of arms Education Number living Other offices held Place of primary affiliation Religious affiliation Tie - breaking votes Time in office Succession Acting President Designated survivor Line of succession Elections Electoral College margin Popular vote margin Summary Winner lost popular vote Candidates Democrat Republican Third party Green Libertarian Progressive National Republican / Whig African American Female Received at least one electoral vote Height Unsuccessful major party candidates Lost their home state Families First Families First Ladies Second Ladies Children Namesakes, honors Memorial sites U.S. postage stamp appearances Educational institution names Currency appearances U.S. county names U.S. Senate vice presidential bust collection In fiction Presidents actors Vice Presidents actors Candidates Line of succession U.S. Government Portal Biography Portal Presidents of the United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_judicial_appointments&oldid=843450888 '' Categories : Lists of United States judicial appointments by president Lists relating to the United States presidency Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 29 May 2018, at 07 : 21. 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Question: which president had the highest number of supreme court justices confirmed
Answer: George Washington