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With the vote, the Senate approved its 235th lifetime judge of President Biden’s tenure, besting his predecessor by a single judgeship.
- Dec. 20, 2024Updated 7:54 p.m. ET
The Senate confirmed on Friday the 235th lifetime federal judge nominated by President Biden, topping the four-year record set during the first Trump administration by a single judge in a drive that significantly reshaped the federal courts to be more ethnically and professionally diverse.
The approval of Serena Raquel Murillo of California to be a judge in the state’s central district wrapped up a push by Democrats to fill as many vacancies as possible on the bench before turning the majority over to Senate Republicans on Jan. 3.
Democrats celebrated not only the number of judges confirmed but also their varying ethnicities and legal experience compared with the longstanding practice by past presidents of both parties of installing mostly white former prosecutors and corporate lawyers.
“A quarter of all the judges are now on the federal bench from the four years we were here,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, who called the judicial drive one of his most significant acts as leader. “It’s going to have a profound effect on people’s lives. This was an accomplishment that will last generations.”
The intense year-end effort means that President-elect Donald J. Trump will enter the White House with far fewer vacancies than in 2017, when he took office with more than 100 judgeships open after Republicans blocked the Obama administration from filling court seats, including one on the Supreme Court.
Mr. Trump could get more if Mr. Biden signs congressionally approved legislation that would create about two dozen new federal court slots for him to fill, but the White House has said he would veto that bill.
