Obama cheers Biden’s 200th judge confirmation

Former President Obama celebrated President Biden’s 200th judicial nominee being confirmed to the federal bench Wednesday.

“@POTUS just confirmed his 200th judge — not an easy accomplishment with a narrow majority in the Senate. And more than half are women and people of color,” Obama said in a post on the social platform X.

“Judges have the power to roll back progress or keep us moving forward; to protect our basic liberties or take them away,” Biden’s former boss continued. “It’s another reminder of what’s at stake in this election, and why it’s so important to vote.”

Magistrate Judge Angela Martinez was confirmed by the Senate to become a federal judge in Arizona on Wednesday, marking the 200th confirmed since Biden took office.

The president also celebrated the milestone in a statement Wednesday.

“Judges matter. These men and women have the power to uphold basic rights or to roll them back,” he said. “They hear cases that decide whether women have the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions; whether Americans have the freedom to cast their ballots; whether workers have the freedom to unionize and make a living wage for their families; and whether children have the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.”

The makeup of Biden’s confirmed judges is diverse, with 64 percent of them being women and 62 percent being people of color.

“And despite differences in background and experience, they are all committed to principles that are at the core of our democracy: independence, freedom, and liberty,” Biden said.