How to be a federal judge

June 2, 2011
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Some people learn by just jumping in and doing; others prefer to do their homework to prepare for a new experience. For these people, if becoming a federal judge is on your career aspirations list, then take a look at “Path to the Federal Bench.”

It’s been created by several legal groups, including the American Constitution Society, National Association of Women Judges, and the National Bar Association, with the goal of educating young attorneys and law students on the Article III federal judgeship process and diversifying the bench. They want students and new attorneys to be thinking ahead and begin preparing themselves to become a federal judge if that’s something they think they’d like to do in the future.

The 34-page guide gives insight on everything from how to become nominated to the Senate vote. It advises young lawyers to keep tabs on everything they’ve ever written that’s been published and warns them that the background checks will likely find anything they are trying to hide, so make sure to pay your taxes and don’t be a criminal.

The pamphlet, as it’s described by the authors, emphasizes that there is no one way to become a federal judge and provides biographies of recent federal judges to support that point. It also lists resources for those interested in learning more about becoming a federal judge.

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  1. vagueness cannot challenged, so let's write all laws vaguely and throw the constitution out the window.Even if the court is operating under a particular law, if they don't it they will change it to their liking. What a joke!!!

  2. Two convictions becomes one conviction with exactly the same sentence, only it is not clear wheter or not that sentence will be 18 months, 120 months or 138 months. Actually if the guns were in a home, whether or not they were his, he is protected under the 2nd amendment. Jurors need to learn the law and the constitution before judging others. The cour5ts need to do this as well.

  3. With all due respect, Rick, I think you probably would be making a mistake by going to law school. The job market for attorneys is so saturated, you may well find yourself unemployed and with a lot of debt. You mention law would be a good supplement to your skills. True. But employers unfortunately don't value that. You will find that a law degree may well pigeonhole you into an attorney slot and limit career options. If you have a good job now I would hold onto that. As an attorney, you may well end up making less with the aforementioned debt.

  4. Jack, I was only responding to bill's comment of tying everybody in government together. I agree with you though, it takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch.. As in any profession. What's truly unfair is when somebody violates someone's trust and takes complete advantage of someone

  5. John’s comment is unfair. The majority of attorneys can be trusted. Unfortunately, all it takes is one greedy, unscrupulous, immoral attorney to jade the public.

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