As the first president, Washington was responsible for appointing the entire Supreme Court; he appointed a record eleven justices, including two Chief Justices and who were confirmed from outside the Court and one former Justice named as Chief Justice by a recess appointment, but not ultimately confirmed to the position. Additionally, Washington nominated Robert H. Harrison, who declined to serve,[3][4] and nominated William Cushing for elevation to Chief Justice,[5] who likewise declined.[Note 1]
Since there were no sitting justices at the beginning of Washington's term, he had the unique opportunity to fill the entire body of United States federal judges with his selections. Despite this, Washington appointed only 28 judges to the United States district courts, due to the smaller size of the judiciary at the time; there were far fewer states, most states had a single district court, and each district had a single judge assigned to it. Because intermediate federal appellate courts had not yet been established, this, combined with the Supreme Court appointments, constituted the total number of federal judicial appointments made by Washington.[1] The number is roughly 10% of the record 376 judges appointed by Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989, when the judiciary was much larger,[Note 2] and less than 5% of the number of active federal judges serving as of July 2010.[Note 3]Richard Peters Jr. served for over 36 years, the longest of Washington's appointments.
As no Article I legislative courts existed during Washington's administration, he made no judicial appointments under Article I. The first court created under Article I, the United States Court of Claims, would not be established until 1855, under the administration of President Franklin Pierce.
John Rutledge was appointed to the serve on the Supreme Court twice, first as associate justice and then, after a period of years off the Court, as chief justice.
Washington appointed federal judges to 17 United States District Courts. Of these, 16 are pictured in the map above, while the 17th, the District of Tennessee, was created shortly before the end of his administration.
Richard Peters Jr. served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Pennsylvania for over 36 years, the longest of Washington's appointments.
United States Supreme Court justices
District courts
Notes
^Some documents claim that he accepted the appointment and immediately resigned.[6]
^The Biographical Directory of Federal Judges lists 358 judges appointed by President Reagan, with reappointments and elevations bringing the number to 376.
^The Biographical Directory of Federal Judges lists close to 800 judges in active status, with nearly to 500 more in senior status.
^ a bUnusually, Rutledge served two different terms on the Supreme Court. He was first appointed as an Associate Justice in 1789, resigning from that position in 1791. He became Chief Justice via a recess appointment in 1795, and was formally nominated on December 10, 1795. His nomination was thereafter rejected by the Senate in December 1795, and he resigned shortly after.
^Paterson was initially nominated on February 27, 1793, but the nomination was immediately withdrawn by the President for technical reasons, the message being received by the Senate on Feb 28, 1793. Paterson was successfully renominated four days later.
Marcus, Maeva; Perry, James R., eds. (1985), The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789–1800, vol. 1, New York, NY: Columbia University Press
Specific
^ a bBiographical Directory of Federal Judges, passim.
^"The Judiciary Act of 1789". U.S. Congress. September 24, 1789. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
^Washington, George (September 28, 1789). "To Robert Hanson Harrison". Washington, George, 1732-1799. The writings of George Washington from the original manuscript sources. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
^Washington, George (November 25, 1789). "To Robert Hanson Harrison". Washington, George, 1732-1799. The writings of George Washington from the original manuscript sources. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
^Marcus & Perry, p. 103.
^Marcus & Perry, p. 120.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s tDied in office.
^ a bRecess appointment; formally nominated on October 31, 1791, confirmed by the United States Senate on November 7, 1791, and received commission on November 7, 1791.
^Marcus & Perry, p. 89-90.
^ a b cElevated.
^ a b cRecess appointment; formally nominated on February 8, 1790, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 10, 1790, and received commission on February 10, 1790.
^Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 17, 1790, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20, 1790, and received commission on December 20, 1790.
^On June 9, 1794, the District of North Carolina was subdivided into the Edenton, New Bern, and Wilmington Districts of North Carolina; on March 3, 1797, the single District of North Carolina was reconstituted; and on February 13, 1801, the District was subdivided into the Albemarle, Cape Fear, and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina. In each instance, Sitgreaves was reassigned by operation of law to serve as the sole federal judge for the subdivided or reconstituted District, and he remained the sole federal judge serving the state of North Carolina until his death on March 4, 1802.
^Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 27, 1793, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 30, 1793, and received commission on January 28, 1794.
^Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 21, 1796, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 27, 1796, and received commission on January 2, 1797.
^Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 21, 1796, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 22, 1796, and received commission on December 22, 1796.