By Amy Steigerwalt
The Conversation
November 28, 2021
If President Trump’s attacks on the justice system are meant to intimidate, there’s one class of employees in the U.S. justice system who are immune to them: federal judges, who have lifetime tenure. We asked political science professor Amy Steigerwalt to explain the history and logic behind the lifetime appointment of federal judges.
“I thought the whole prosecution was ridiculous,” said Trump of Stone’s prosecution. “I thought it was an insult to our country.” 1. What is life tenure for federal judges?
The vast majority of United States federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, as I describe in my book, “Battle Over the Bench: Senators, Interest Groups and Lower Court Confirmations.”