Question

Which demographic group has the lowest level of representation as a judge in the federal courts?

Answer 1

The demographic representation in the judge should be similar to their representation in the population. The term used to describe this is descriptive representation. This means that the lowest level of representation as a judge in the federal courts has the smallest demographic group in the population.

Answer 2

The most recent study was done on June 1, 2017, and all information is from that date. There are 673 US District court judgeships and four territorial ones. At the time of this study, there were 160 active circuit court judges and 19 vacant positions, while there were 570 district court judges and a whopping 103 vacant positions. There are 59 female circuit court judges, 37%. Men, therefore, are in 63% of positions. Intesretingly, this number has actually improved, with only one woman serving in 1977. Disregarding race, 75% of circuit court judges are white, 13% African American, 9% Hispanic, and only 3% Asian American. 12 courts have African American judges, nine have Hispanic, and five have Asian American. Overall, all three percentages have risen since 1977 (with some variability), but interestingly, Asian Americans have only recently begun to rise in presence., starting in about 2010. Combining gender and race, white men make up 45.6% of all circuit court judges, while Asian American women only make up 0.6%. In all races, men overpower women in numbers by a large amount. Looking at age, the average is 64.7 years old, with over 50% over 65 and only 2% under 45. The vast majority were appointed between 45 and 54, though many came slightly before or after. It is worth noting that the first openly gay circuit court judge was Todd M. Hughes, appointed by Obama in 2013. If we are considering race, Asian Americans are the lowest represented. If we are considering gender, women are less represented. Overall in race and gender, Asian American women are least represented. Looking at age, people under 40 are underrepresented. Overall, though, the least common demographic would be open members of the LGBT+ community. As you can see, this is not a straightforward question! It is a hugely interesting topic and one I plan to explore further.