Federal judge

A Federal Judge is a Judge appointed in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution. All federal Judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. The federal Judiciary includes the United States Supreme Court, thirteen Courts of Appeals (also called 'Circuit Courts') with appellate jurisdiction over different regions of the United States, over 100 United States district courts and several miscellaneous Courts with special jurisdictions.

Federal Judges are generally appointed for life, though it varies for some of the Courts with special jurisdictions. Therefore most federal Judges hold their seats until they resign, die or are impeached and convicted by the U.S. Congress. Since the impeachment process requires a trial by the United States Senate, and the terms of a Judge's tenure cannot be changed once a Judge takes office, federal Judges have the best job security available in the United States.

However, the Judges who preside over certain federal courts of limited jurisdiction are not life-tenured. Federal magistrates and bankruptcy Judges, for example, are appointed for specified terms by the administrative bodies of the federal Judiciary.