Ketanji Brown Jackson's candidacy draws renewed attention to the lack of black judges in federal banks

While Ketanji Brown Jackson's candidacy for the Supreme Court sparked debate about the country's historic lack of diversity on the Supreme Court, her rise also brought renewed focus on the absence of black judges in courts lower than federal jurisdiction.

Of the 3,852 people confirmed as federal judges, CNN's analysis of data from the Federal Judicial Center showed that 240 of the - 6% - were black. Seventy-one of them are black women.

More than three-quarters of all judges are white men. And while steps have been taken in recent years to improve the demographic composition of the Bundesbank, the judiciary still differs dramatically from white male judges, especially when compared to others in the country. For example, nearly 80% of all Section III judges—federal judges nominated by the U.S. President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate—are white, and 71% are men, with significant gaps in the representation of Latinos, blacks, and women in federal courts, The data show. However, black Americans make up 12.4% of the U.S. population.

This under-representation hindered ambitious black judges in the career process when opening the Supreme Court — while negatively impacting the judiciary, where judges were expected to render fair and impartial decisions in an increasingly diverse set of affairs. 

"One thing we know undermines public confidence in the judiciary is when judges and other actors in the judiciary (such as jurors) do not reflect the diversity of citizens who rely on our courts to ensure impartial justice," said Stacy Hawkins. A professor at Rutgers Law School told CNN. "Citizens simply don't trust the system if it doesn't appear to reflect their interests enough."

Common reasons for lack of representation

Overall, only 137 Hispanics have served as federal judges in U.S. history, 53 Asian Americans and four Indians. The Democratic president has appointed 180 black judges in national justice, while Republicans selected 60. Among the remaining black federal judges, 115 were nominated by Democrats and 37 by Republicans.