Ways to Become a Judge
A judge is either elected or appointed and presides over the proceedings in a court of law. A judge’s training, duties, powers and method of appointment varies depending on the jurisdiction. While extensive knowledge of the law is required, a judge must be completely impartial when hearing a case to be fair. A judge often decides whether a case goes to trial and is responsible for instructing juries on the law. The role a judge plays in the judicial system is considered to be a privilege; therefore, a judge’s conduct is expected to be of the highest integrity.
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Instructions
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Become a lawyer. Go to law school after earning an undergraduate degree from a college or university. To be licensed to practice law, you must graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
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Pass the state bar examination. Before being licensed to practice law, an applicant to the bar must pass an ethical standards exam. Along with a criminal background check, the individual may also be required to undergo a screening of moral character as part of the process. Each state’s bar has its own requirements.
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Practice law for a time to gain experience. Attorneys may need certification in certain areas of the law as proof of experience and enhanced knowledge. State and federal judges are required to practice law for a period of time before becoming judges.
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Take coursework required for judges. Additional legal training is often required for judges in specific areas of law, especially if a judge is responsible for deciding the outcome of a case without a jury.
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Run for elected office. Judges of the district court are selected either by merit or must run for office on a partisan ballot. In some states, voters do not have the right to elect county and circuit court judges but may vote only on whether to retain sitting judges. Voters elect superior court judges not appointed by a state’s governor.
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Submit the paperwork required by a judicial nominating commission to apply as a candidate when a vacancy occurs in a district judgeship. The commission interviews all candidates. Requirements include membership in the state’s bar, U.S. and state citizenship, minimum age at time of appointment, a specified length of state residency and residency in the geographic area of the vacancy to be filled.
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Seek nomination as a Supreme Court judge. Based on their exemplary experience and qualifications, justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the courts of appeals and U.S. district courts are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate. Once a candidate has been nominated and receives confirmation, she is appointed for life unless impeached.
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Tips & Warnings
A state's judicial council is responsible for investigating written complaints and recommending any disciplinary action for district judges, magistrate judges and court of appeals judges to the Supreme Court.
