Presidents who appointed the most justices
Which president appointed the most Supreme Court justices?
George Washington appointed 11 Supreme Court justices, more than any other president.
Ranked by the number of Supreme Court justices each president named (elevations counted). Every president links to all the judges they appointed.
| # | Name | Detail | To SCOTUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Washington | 39 federal appointments | 11 |
| 2 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 222 federal appointments | 9 |
| 3 | Andrew Jackson | 26 federal appointments | 6 |
| 4 | William H. Taft | 74 federal appointments | 6 |
| 5 | Abraham Lincoln | 44 federal appointments | 5 |
| 6 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 191 federal appointments | 5 |
| 7 | Benjamin Harrison | 54 federal appointments | 4 |
| 8 | Grover Cleveland | 54 federal appointments | 4 |
| 9 | Harry S Truman | 152 federal appointments | 4 |
| 10 | Richard M. Nixon | 239 federal appointments | 4 |
| 11 | Ronald Reagan | 387 federal appointments | 4 |
| 12 | Ulysses Grant | 44 federal appointments | 4 |
| 13 | Warren G. Harding | 57 federal appointments | 4 |
| 14 | Donald J. Trump | 294 federal appointments | 3 |
| 15 | Herbert Hoover | 72 federal appointments | 3 |
| 16 | John Adams | 10 federal appointments | 3 |
| 17 | Theodore Roosevelt | 98 federal appointments | 3 |
| 18 | Thomas Jefferson | 14 federal appointments | 3 |
| 19 | Woodrow Wilson | 82 federal appointments | 3 |
| 20 | Barack Obama | 330 federal appointments | 2 |
| 21 | Chester A. Arthur | 24 federal appointments | 2 |
| 22 | George H.W. Bush | 194 federal appointments | 2 |
| 23 | George W. Bush | 328 federal appointments | 2 |
| 24 | James K. Polk | 9 federal appointments | 2 |
| 25 | James Madison | 12 federal appointments | 2 |
Questions
- Which president appointed the most Supreme Court justices?
- George Washington appointed 11 Supreme Court justices, more than any other president.
- What are the top five?
- George Washington (11), Franklin D. Roosevelt (9), Andrew Jackson (6), William H. Taft (6) and Abraham Lincoln (5).
- How is this list ranked?
- Ranked by the number of Supreme Court justices each president named (elevations counted). Every president links to all the judges they appointed.
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Computed from the FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-09-30. Verify against the primary source before relying.