Federal judges were only White men for a long, long time...

Race and gender of Article III federal judges by first year of federal service, 1789 to present

Bar chart showing the share of new federal judges who were White men and not White men for each year from 1789 to the present. Until 1928, each year shows 100% White men.

Data current as of March 18, 2022. Data includes all judges who served on a federal court as defined by Article III of the Constitution, regardless of the court’s status when each judge was commissioned. Judges are counted in the year they first began federal service. Mixed-race judges are counted as non-White.

Source: Federal Judicial Center
Chart: Jasmine MithaniThe 19th・19thnews.org