How to Become a Supreme Court Justice Judge

The Supreme Court has final jurisdiction over cases dealing with federal laws.

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial power of the United States and meets in Washington, D.C. A chief justice and eight associate justices serve in the Supreme Court. Justices serve until they die, resign, retire or are impeached. The Constitution does not set any qualifications to become a justice. The president is in charge of nominating a justice when a position opens. The nominated person must receive Senate confirmation to become a justice.

Instructions

1. Become an attorney in your state and practice law. Every Supreme Court justice in history has been an attorney.

2. Apply to become a state judge when a position opens. You need to maintain a clean attorney record. You need a strong network of friends as politics plays a significant role in the state judge nominations process.

3. Apply for a position as a Federal Court of Appeals judge when a position opens. The president is in charge of appointing federal judges, who must be confirmed by the Senate. Federal judge positions last until death, retirement, resignation or impeachment. Eight of the nine Supreme Court justices presiding in 2011 came from the Federal Court of Appeals.

4. Work as a Federal Court of Appeals judge until a Supreme Court position becomes available. There are only nine justices and many serve for several decades, so you may have to wait a long time. The president nominates Supreme Court justices and is likely to pick someone he knows well or who has a strong recommendation from his advisers. Having a similar ideology and views on major topics as the president helps in getting nominated.

5. Cooperate with the nomination process, handled by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The FBI investigates your background and presents a report to the committee. The Judiciary Committee passes a recommendation to confirm or reject your nomination to the Senate floor. The Senate votes and you must receive a simple majority of 51 votes, unless a group filibusters in which case you need a three-fifths cloture vote to pass. Only 30 of 144 nominations have been rejected. Once accepted, the president prepares and signs a commission with a seal of the Department of Justice affixed to it.

6. Take the constitutional oath and the judicial oath to officially become a Supreme Court justice. The president typically attends at least one of the oath ceremonies. At this point, you are a Supreme Court justice and may begin your duties.

References

• Supreme Court: A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court
• United States House of Representatives: The United States Constitution
• Supreme Court: Frequenty Asked Questions