Federal judges work to ensure equal justice under the law. Learn about the different kinds of federal judges and the cases they hear.

About Federal Judges Federal judges work to ensure equal justice under the law. Back About Federal Judges

This section offers information on how federal judgeships are created, how judges are chosen, a summary of judicial vacancies, and provides basic information on judicial compensation, the history of judges and judgeships, and judicial biographies.

Senior judges, who essentially provide volunteer service to the courts, typically handle about 15 percent of the federal courts' workload annually. What are bankruptcy judges? How are they appointed?

The judicial branch, in turn, has the authority to decide the constitutionality of federal laws and resolve other cases involving federal laws. But judges depend upon the executive branch to enforce court decisions.

About Federal Judges Federal judges work to ensure equal justice under the law. Back About Federal Judges

As of September 2017, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and only eight have been convicted. Three others resigned before completion of impeachment proceedings. A summary of federal judicial impeachments is available at the Federal Judicial Center’s website.

The Constitution states that federal judges are to be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They hold office during good behavior, typically, for life. Through Congressional impeachment proceedings, federal judges may be removed from office for misbehavior. State court judges are selected in a variety of ways, including

Federal courts of appeals review the procedures and the decisions in the district courts, also known as trial courts, to make sure that the proceedings were fair and that the law was applied correctly.

Court of Federal Claims Honorable Elaine D. Kaplan, Chief Judge • Lisa Reyes, Clerk of Court