In public remarks on Thursday, President Biden celebrated the confirmation of 235 federal judges over the course of his presidency, the culmination of an intense effort by Democrats in his term’s waning months to match President-elect Donald J. Trump’s total four years ago.
The 235 federal judges confirmed to lifetime positions by the Senate, including one Supreme Court justice, barely surpassed the 234 confirmed under Mr. Trump during his first term.
In reaching that milestone, Mr. Biden said his legacy would be creating a bulwark against threats to democracy and empowering individuals who would respect legal precedent — a subtle nod to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and other major reversals that occurred during his presidency.
“Together, these judges are going to hear cases on issues, ruling on from everything from whether Americans can cast their ballot, I mean literally how they can cast their ballot, when it will be counted,” Mr. Biden said. “Whether workers can unionize — I thought we settled that in 1934 — and make a living wage for their families; whether their children can breathe clean air and drink clean water.”
Flanked by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Biden joked about the great lengths the three of them had gone through to hold votes on his nominees last year.
But he said the breakneck pace proved his administration’s commitment to elevating women and people of color to the federal judiciary; some two-thirds of his nominees fell into one or both categories.