Appointing president
Judges appointed by Thomas Jefferson
President Thomas Jefferson filled 14 lifetime federal judgeships, including 3 on the Supreme Court.
What this list covers. Every lifetime (Article III) appointment in the Federal Judicial Center’s directory: 3 Supreme Court · 9 district courts · 2 other. Bankruptcy and magistrate judges are appointed by the courts, not the president, and fixed-term (Article I) judgeships such as the U.S. Tax Court aren’t attributed to a president here.
Jump to: Supreme Court (3) · District Courts (9) · Other courts (2)
Supreme Court · 3
| Judge | Court | Vote | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Johnson Jr. | Supreme Court | Voice | 1804 |
| Henry Brockholst Livingston | Supreme Court | Voice | 1807 |
| Thomas Todd | Supreme Court | Voice | 1807 |
District Courts · 9
| Judge | Court | Vote | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Leonard Barnes | District of Rhode Island | Voice | 1802 |
| Charles Willing Byrd | District of Ohio | Voice | 1803 |
| Pierpont Edwards | District of Connecticut | Voice | 1806 |
| Dominic Augustin Hall | District of Orleans | Voice | 1804 |
| James Houston | District of Maryland | Voice | 1806 |
| Henry Potter | Albemarle, Cape Fear & Pamptico Districts of North Carolina | Voice | 1802 |
| John Samuel Sherburne | District of New Hampshire | Voice | 1804 |
| William Stephens | District of Georgia | Voice | 1802 |
| Matthias Burnett Tallmadge | District of New York | Voice | 1806 |
Other courts · 2
| Judge | Court | Vote | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic Augustin Hall | U.S. Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit | Voice | 1802 |
| Henry Potter | U.S. Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit | Voice | 1802 |
Vote “–”: no recorded tally or vote type in the FJC record.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory (the complete record of Article III federal judges). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Verify against the primary source before relying.