The judiciary

Courts & Judges

The Supreme Court and its latest decisions, every federal judge by the president who appointed them, and the seats now open on the federal bench.

Supreme Court justices9Sitting today
Active Article III judges850179 appeals, 653 district
Current vacancies2811 nominees pending
Future vacancies15Announced, not yet open
Opinions this term2October Term 2026

The Supreme Court

The justices and the term ›
  • John G. Roberts, Jr.Chief Justice since 2005 · appointed by George W. Bush
  • Clarence ThomasAssociate Justice since 1991 · appointed by George H.W. Bush
  • Samuel A. Alito, Jr.Associate Justice since 2006 · appointed by George W. Bush
  • Sonia SotomayorAssociate Justice since 2009 · appointed by Barack Obama
  • Elena KaganAssociate Justice since 2010 · appointed by Barack Obama
  • Neil M. GorsuchAssociate Justice since 2017 · appointed by Donald J. Trump
  • Brett M. KavanaughAssociate Justice since 2018 · appointed by Donald J. Trump
  • Amy Coney BarrettAssociate Justice since 2020 · appointed by Donald J. Trump
  • Ketanji Brown JacksonAssociate Justice since 2022 · appointed by Joseph R. Biden

Latest decisions

All opinions this term ›

Judges appointed by recent presidents

Every president since 1789 ›
President Party First commission Supreme Court Appeals District Other Total Still serving
Joseph R. Biden Democratic 2021 1 45 187 2 235 230
Donald J. Trump Republican 2017 3 64 223 4 294 283
Barack Obama Democratic 2009 2 55 269 4 330 293
George W. Bush Republican 2001 2 61 263 2 328 226
William J. Clinton Democratic 1993 2 66 310 5 383 217
George H.W. Bush Republican 1989 2 42 149 1 194 89
Ronald Reagan Republican 1981 4 83 294 6 387 98
Jimmy Carter Democratic 1977 0 56 208 3 267 26

Article III appointments confirmed by the Senate (and recess appointments), counted by the court each judge was appointed to. A judge elevated from a district court to a court of appeals counts once for each appointment. "Still serving" includes judges in senior status.

Open seats on the federal bench

Vacancies and nominees ›
Courts of appeals0Current vacancies
District courts28Current vacancies
Other courts0Current vacancies
Nominees pending16For current and future seats

As reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on November 9, 2026.

Latest news about the Supreme Court ›

From the blog

When the Senate and the President Disagree on Judges, History Shows What FollowsWith Democrats set to take the Senate on January 3, 2027, history shows how divided government shapes judicial nominations and what a President can still do.Roberts Said Judges Call Balls and Strikes. Conservatives Still Argue Over ItRoberts's umpire metaphor captures judicial modesty, but conservatives split over whether modesty means deferring to laws that violate the Constitution.Standing Explained, the Doorway Rule That Keeps Courts Out of PoliticsA federal court can decide a dispute only if the plaintiff shows a real injury the court can fix, and that doorway rule is why judges are not legislators.Robert Jackson Left the Supreme Court to Prosecute the Nazis at NurembergA justice with one year of law school became the chief American prosecutor at Nuremberg, and his career shows what law is for, which is restraining power.

Sources: Federal Judicial Center, U.S. Courts, Supreme Court of the United States. Updated November 9, 2026.