Courts & Judges

Judges Appointed by George Washington

George Washington (no party) made 39 Article III appointments between 1789 and 1797, by commission date. 0 of those judges are still serving, in active or senior status.

Supreme Court11
Courts of appeals0
District courts28
Other courts0
Total appointments39

The appointees

GenderMale 39
Race or ethnicityWhite 39

Counts per appointment as recorded in the Federal Judicial Center's directory. The American Bar Association has rated nominees since the 1950s; older appointments carry no rating, and some recent nominees were not rated.

Supreme Court (11)

Judge Court Commissioned Senate vote ABA rating Status
John Jay Chief Justice Supreme Court of the United States Resignation 1795
John Rutledge Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Resignation 1791
William Cushing Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Death 1810
James Wilson Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Death 1798
John Blair Jr. Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Resignation 1795
James Iredell Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Death 1799
Thomas Johnson Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Resignation 1793
William Paterson Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Death 1806
John Rutledge Chief Justice Supreme Court of the United States 10--14 Recess appointment, not confirmed 1795
Samuel Chase Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States Death 1811
Oliver Ellsworth Chief Justice Supreme Court of the United States 21-1 Resignation 1800

District courts (28)

Judge Court Commissioned Senate vote ABA rating Status
Richard Law District Court for the District of Connecticut Death 1806
Gunning Bedford Jr. District Court for the District of Delaware Death 1812
Nathaniel Pendleton District Court for the District of Georgia Resignation 1796
Joseph Clay Jr. District Court for the District of Georgia Resignation 1801
Harry Innes District Court for the District of Kentucky Death 1816
David Sewall District Court for the District of Maine Resignation 1818
William Paca District Court for the District of Maryland Death 1799
John Lowell District Court for the District of Massachusetts Appointed to another court 1801
John Sullivan District Court for the District of New Hampshire Death 1795
John Pickering District Court for the District of New Hampshire Impeachment & Conviction 1804
David Brearley District Court for the District of New Jersey Death 1790
Robert Morris District Court for the District of New Jersey Reassignment 1801
James Duane District Court for the District of New York Resignation 1794
John Laurance District Court for the District of New York Resignation 1796
Robert Troup District Court for the District of New York Resignation 1798
John Stokes District Court for the District of North Carolina Death 1790
John Sitgreaves District Court for the District of North Carolina Reassignment 1794
Francis Hopkinson District Court for the District of Pennsylvania Death 1791
William Lewis District Court for the District of Pennsylvania Resignation 1792
Richard Peters District Court for the District of Pennsylvania Reassignment 1818
Henry Marchant District Court for the District of Rhode Island Death 1796
Benjamin Bourne District Court for the District of Rhode Island Appointed to another court 1801
William Drayton District Court for the District of South Carolina Death 1790
Thomas Bee District Court for the District of South Carolina Death 1812
John McNairy District Court for the District of Tennessee Reassignment 1802
Nathaniel Chipman District Court for the District of Vermont Resignation 1793
Samuel Hitchcock District Court for the District of Vermont Appointed to another court 1801
Cyrus Griffin District Court for the District of Virginia Death 1810

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Source: Federal Judicial Center. Updated November 9, 2026.