Roughly 172 federal judges identify as Black, about 12 percent of Article III judgeships, and Black judges make up an estimated 10 to 11 percent of the country’s approximately 30,000 state judges, according to the most recent data compiled by the American Bar Association and the Federal Judicial Center. Put another way, when you ask how many Black judges there are in the United States, the honest answer is a firm federal figure sitting on top of a much larger state-level estimate, because no single database tracks every judge in every state. The combined Black share of the bench has grown notably over the past decade but still trails the Black share of the U.S. population, which is roughly 14 percent.
Black Judges on the Federal Bench
Article III judges include the Supreme Court, the 13 circuit courts of appeals, and the district courts. They are nominated by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and appointed for life. Congress has authorized 870 Article III judgeships, and 36 of those seats were vacant as of early 2026.1United States Courts. Current Judicial Vacancies
As of mid-2024, 172 sitting federal judges identified as Black, and another 12 identified as partially Black. Together that’s about 11.8 percent of the federal bench, up from 9.5 percent in 2020.2American Bar Association. Judges The 172 count includes both active judges and those on senior status, so the number handling a full caseload at any moment is somewhat smaller. Senior judges have met age and service thresholds, have shifted to a reduced docket, and leave their seats officially open for a new appointment while continuing to hear cases.
Two Black justices currently sit on the Supreme Court: Clarence Thomas, confirmed in 1991, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, confirmed in 2022. Below them, Black judges serve across all 13 federal circuits and in district courts spanning every state and territory, though the distribution is uneven. Circuits covering areas with larger Black populations, particularly in the South and mid-Atlantic, tend to have more Black judges than circuits in the Mountain West or Pacific Northwest.
The Federal Judicial Center’s biographical directory records 285 African American judges who have held Article III positions across the entire history of the federal courts, dating back to William Henry Hastie’s 1937 appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Virgin Islands.3Federal Judicial Center. Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-Present
Magistrate and Bankruptcy Judges Aren’t in That Count
The federal courts also rely on magistrate judges and bankruptcy judges, who don’t hold Article III positions. Magistrate judges are appointed by the district judges in their court after a merit panel review, and they serve renewable eight-year terms, or four-year terms if part-time. They handle a large share of pretrial motions and misdemeanor trials.4United States Courts. Types of Federal Judges
Because these judges aren’t presidentially nominated or Senate-confirmed, they don’t appear in the standard Article III diversity data, and no comprehensive public database tracks the racial demographics of all sitting magistrate and bankruptcy judges. The real number of Black federal judicial officers is therefore higher than 172. How much higher is not something the available data can answer.
Black Judges in State Courts
State courts handle roughly 95 percent of all legal cases in the country, and there are about 30,000 state judges nationwide. That’s the pool where most Black judges actually sit. Estimating a national percentage is hard: each state tracks its judiciary differently, and some don’t collect demographic data at all. The best available estimates put Black judges at around 10 to 11 percent of state court positions overall, with wide variation by state and court level.
State supreme courts show the sharpest disparities. As of late 2025, 24 states had no Black justices on their highest court, while 26 states plus the District of Columbia had at least one. That’s a slight improvement from 2024, when 24 states plus D.C. had any Black representation on their supreme court bench.
General jurisdiction trial courts, which handle felonies, major civil disputes, and family cases, tend to look somewhat better, especially in urban areas with significant Black populations. Even in many of those cities, though, the Black share of the trial bench trails the Black share of the local population.
What’s Behind the Recent Growth
The federal jump from 9.5 percent in 2020 to nearly 12 percent by 2024 came largely from a single administration. President Biden confirmed 63 Black judges to lifetime federal positions, including 40 Black women. No previous administration came close to those numbers. Justice Jackson’s 2022 confirmation was the most visible piece of that shift, but the change ran through the circuit and district courts as well.
Historically, Black men held most Black federal judgeships. That balance has flipped in recent appointment cycles. State courts show a similar pattern, with Black women making up a growing share of new appointments and election wins, particularly in appellate and general jurisdiction courts.
Why the Numbers Keep Shifting
Federal judicial demographics move with vacancies. A president serving during a period of heavy retirements or newly created seats can reshape the bench more than one who inherits few openings, and because Article III judges serve for life, the effects of any administration’s appointments last for decades. With 36 seats currently vacant, who fills them will determine whether the Black share of the federal bench keeps climbing or levels off.1United States Courts. Current Judicial Vacancies
Senior status further blurs any single snapshot. A seat treated as vacant for appointment purposes can still have a senior Black judge actively hearing cases, and the balance between active and senior judges within the 172 total is always in motion.
State counts move faster still. Most state judges serve fixed terms rather than lifetime appointments, so election cycles, gubernatorial priorities, legislative redistricting of judicial circuits, and mandatory retirement ages that vary by state all reshuffle the numbers regularly. A state supreme court that gains its first Black justice one year can lose that seat to a retirement or election loss the next.
Where These Numbers Come From
The Federal Judicial Center maintains the most comprehensive record of Article III judges, with a searchable biographical directory covering every federal judge from 1789 to the present and including demographic data.3Federal Judicial Center. Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-Present The American Bar Association’s annual Profile of the Legal Profession publishes snapshots of judicial diversity at both the federal and state levels.2American Bar Association. Judges
For state supreme courts specifically, research organizations release periodic updates on racial and gender composition, but those reports go stale quickly as seats turn over. No single database tracks every state and local judge with uniform demographic data. That’s why the federal count of 172 is firm and the national total, once state courts are added in, remains an estimate rather than a hard number.