Which branch confirms judges

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish other federal courts to handle cases that involve federal laws including tax and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U.

Other federal judicial agencies and programs support the courts and research judicial policy. Appointments for Supreme Court Justices and other federal judgeships follow the same basic process:. Learn how cases reach the Supreme Court and how the justices make their decisions. Use this lesson plan in class. View a larger version of the infographic.

An appeal is a request for a higher court to reverse the decision of a lower court. Most appeals come from federal courts. They can come from state courts if a case deals with federal law. Dissatisfied parties petition the Court for review Parties may appeal their case to the Supreme Court, petitioning the Court to review the decision of the lower court. Justices study documents The Justices examine the petition and supporting materials. Justices vote Four Justices must vote in favor for a case to be granted review.

Parties make arguments The Justices review the briefs written arguments and hear oral arguments. In oral arguments, each side usually has 30 minutes to present its case. The Justices typically ask many questions during this time.

Justices write opinions The Justices vote on the case and write their opinions. Justices who disagree with the majority opinion write dissenting or minority opinions. The Court issues its decision Justices may change their vote after reading first drafts of the opinions. Code, Section c. Senior judges, who essentially provide volunteer service to the courts, typically handle about 15 percent of the federal courts' workload annually. The number of bankruptcy judges is determined by Congress.

The Judicial Conference of the United States is required to submit recommendations from time to time regarding the number of bankruptcy judges needed. Bankruptcy judges are appointed for year terms. The number of magistrate judge positions is determined by the Judicial Conference of the United States, based on recommendations of the respective district courts, the judicial councils of the circuits, and the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.

A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years. Duties assigned to magistrate judges by district court judges may vary considerably from court to court. Who appoints federal judges? How are new judgeships created?

What are the qualifications for becoming a federal judge? Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Executive branch. Please be respectful of copyright.