When presidents get attention for their judicial appointments, it’s usually for their U.S. Supreme Court selections, or, more rarely, their circuit court picks. But over the course of a four-year term, the average president makes more than 100 appointments to the federal district courts. Most of these judges rule in obscurity, which is why we were especially curious to find out: Which recent appointments stand out?
We didn’t try to judge the judges ourselves. Rather, we talked to litigators across the country and asked them to name the federal district court judges who have impressed them the most. Among the questions we asked: Which judges are known for the quality and significance of their opinions? Which judges have handled big cases? Most significantly, which judges are likely candidates for a circuit court nomination? We also wanted to look at roughly equal numbers of Republican and Democratic appointments, so we limited our consideration to judges appointed since 2005 President George W. Bush’s second term, and President Barack Obama’s administration.
