What does it take to be a federal judge....

[Anonymous]

I'm not in the legal field.

This seems like fascinating work.

I'm sure there's not a single path, but what would be representative?

[Anonymous]

Political connections, plain and simple. And it’s not that great of a job for many. A judge can make a lot more money in private practice.

[Anonymous]

+1 to political connections. One of my former colleagues was just nominated and she had terrible work ethic and was well known for being unable to drive cases to completion. But she is incredibly well connected so no one was all that surprised when she got it. As far as it being a great job, I think it would be amazing but of course you don’t do it for the money. Ideally you’ve made a nice chunk in private practice before exiting, which is what the judge I clerked for did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 to political connections. One of my former colleagues was just nominated and she had terrible work ethic and was well known for being unable to drive cases to completion. But she is incredibly well connected so no one was all that surprised when she got it. As far as it being a great job, I think it would be amazing but of course you don’t do it for the money. Ideally you’ve made a nice chunk in private practice before exiting, which is what the judge I clerked for did.

You can adjunct teach and give speeches for good money. Not big law money, but you can also work as few hours as you choose

[Anonymous]

You are guaranteed your salary for life and basically free from any supervision about how you do your work too.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been in a position to be offered consideration. It was political connections, pure and simple, to get to that point. From there, I would have had to pass vetting.

[Anonymous]

I guess the power aspect of it might be appealing to some. For me, the idea of being the referee for petty crap like discovery disputes doesn't sound appealing. Litigation was never interesting to me, it just seemed like constant arguing over the most petty and minor aspects of a case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 to political connections. One of my former colleagues was just nominated and she had terrible work ethic and was well known for being unable to drive cases to completion. But she is incredibly well connected so no one was all that surprised when she got it. As far as it being a great job, I think it would be amazing but of course you don’t do it for the money. Ideally you’ve made a nice chunk in private practice before exiting, which is what the judge I clerked for did.

You can adjunct teach and give speeches for good money. Not big law money, but you can also work as few hours as you choose

Uh, this part is not really true. While federal judges don't work biglaw hours, most of them are also not doing a part time schedule (setting aside senior judges). Dockets are busy and in the very large district I practiced in as a litigator, most judges had calendar every day. Of course there are some bad apples who don't take the job seriously, but to suggest they can work as little as they choose is not broadly accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in a position to be offered consideration. It was political connections, pure and simple, to get to that point. From there, I would have had to pass vetting.

Political connections. Period.

Disgraced former federal judge Jack Camp of the Northern District of Georgia is a prime example.

https://justice.gov/opa/pr/former-senior-us-district-judge-sentenced-one-month-prison-misuse-government-property-and

Camp worked in a two man law office. His partner was the former head of the Georgia Republican party.

Camp's wife was Newt Gingrich's campaign manager for Newt's first successful run for Congress (after two prior failed attempts). Camp appears to have been rewarded as Gingrich nominated her husband (Attorney Jack Camp) to the federal bench as a district court judge.

After taking senior status, the former judge started "dating" a stripper with a prior felony drug conviction for distribution, going to strip clubs, and accompanying the stripper girlfriend to drug deals with his gun in order to protect her. One drug dealer was an undercover FBI agent. Allegedly Camp pointed the gun at the undercover FBI agent during a drug deal. The then US District Court Judge (Jack Tarpley Camp, Jr.) was arrested. Camp pled guilty to three felony charges.

As a courtesy to the US District Court Judge the prosecutors did not charge Judge Camp with having a gun during a drug deal which would have been a mandatory 10 year sentence enhancement. (At the time Sally Yates was the US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.)

By way of divine intervention, Camp's three guilty felony pleas were reduced to misdemeanors allegedly because former US District Court Judge Jack Camp wanted to be able to carry a gun for protection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 to political connections. One of my former colleagues was just nominated and she had terrible work ethic and was well known for being unable to drive cases to completion. But she is incredibly well connected so no one was all that surprised when she got it. As far as it being a great job, I think it would be amazing but of course you don’t do it for the money. Ideally you’ve made a nice chunk in private practice before exiting, which is what the judge I clerked for did.

You can adjunct teach and give speeches for good money. Not big law money, but you can also work as few hours as you choose

Uh, this part is not really true. While federal judges don't work biglaw hours, most of them are also not doing a part time schedule (setting aside senior judges). Dockets are busy and in the very large district I practiced in as a litigator, most judges had calendar every day. Of course there are some bad apples who don't take the job seriously, but to suggest they can work as little as they choose is not broadly accurate.

Their salaries are protected by the constitution. They choose to work the hours they do, but if a judge decided they were fine with 40 hours a week, there is nothing that anyone could do about it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been in a position to be offered consideration. It was political connections, pure and simple, to get to that point. From there, I would have had to pass vetting.

Political connections. Period.

Disgraced former federal judge Jack Camp of the Northern District of Georgia is a prime example.

https://justice.gov/opa/pr/former-senior-us-district-judge-sentenced-one-month-prison-misuse-government-property-and

Camp worked in a two man law office. His partner was the former head of the Georgia Republican party.

Camp's wife was Newt Gingrich's campaign manager for Newt's first successful run for Congress (after two prior failed attempts). Camp appears to have been rewarded as Gingrich nominated her husband (Attorney Jack Camp) to the federal bench as a district court judge.

After taking senior status, the former judge started "dating" a stripper with a prior felony drug conviction for distribution, going to strip clubs, and accompanying the stripper girlfriend to drug deals with his gun in order to protect her. One drug dealer was an undercover FBI agent. Allegedly Camp pointed the gun at the undercover FBI agent during a drug deal. The then US District Court Judge (Jack Tarpley Camp, Jr.) was arrested. Camp pled guilty to three felony charges.

As a courtesy to the US District Court Judge the prosecutors did not charge Judge Camp with having a gun during a drug deal which would have been a mandatory 10 year sentence enhancement. (At the time Sally Yates was the US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.)

By way of divine intervention, Camp's three guilty felony pleas were reduced to misdemeanors allegedly because former US District Court Judge Jack Camp wanted to be able to carry a gun for protection.

An 8 page document: https://www.policeprostitutionandpolitics.com/pdfs_all/COPS%20DAs%20JUDGES%20RAPE%20EXTORT%20PROSTITUTES%20RUN%20PROSTITUTION%20RINGS/Judges%20Rape%20Prostitutes%20etc/2010%20Jack%20Camp%20%7C%20Federal%20Judge%20GA/Felony%20to%20misdemeanor_%20How%20Jack%20Camp%20did%20it.pdf

The above 8 page document attempts to explain the unexplainable. Perhaps it is just a fringe benefit of being a politically well connected Federal Judge.

[Anonymous]

OP: There do not appear to be any required qualifications to become a federal judge other than being nominated by the POTUS.

https://work.chron.com/qualifications-become-federal-judge-14255.html

[Anonymous]

There appear to be stricter requirements to become a federal magistrate judge (law degree) than to become a federal district court judge or a justice on any US appellate court.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: There do not appear to be any required qualifications to become a federal judge other than being nominated by the POTUS.

https://work.chron.com/qualifications-become-federal-judge-14255.html

The solicitor general technically only has to be learned in the law- no bar card required

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 to political connections. One of my former colleagues was just nominated and she had terrible work ethic and was well known for being unable to drive cases to completion. But she is incredibly well connected so no one was all that surprised when she got it. As far as it being a great job, I think it would be amazing but of course you don’t do it for the money. Ideally you’ve made a nice chunk in private practice before exiting, which is what the judge I clerked for did.

You can adjunct teach and give speeches for good money. Not big law money, but you can also work as few hours as you choose

Uh, this part is not really true. While federal judges don't work biglaw hours, most of them are also not doing a part time schedule (setting aside senior judges). Dockets are busy and in the very large district I practiced in as a litigator, most judges had calendar every day. Of course there are some bad apples who don't take the job seriously, but to suggest they can work as little as they choose is not broadly accurate.

Their salaries are protected by the constitution. They choose to work the hours they do, but if a judge decided they were fine with 40 hours a week, there is nothing that anyone could do about it

LOL 40 hours a week is a standard workweek - so I'm not sure that's "as few hours as they choose." In any event, my point was that the reality is that most federal judges are not working 20 hour or less weeks. Certainly not the two judges I clerked for, or most of the hundreds of federal judges I've appeared in front of during my career, based on how well they knew the record and the fact that during trial, we were all doing 10+ hour days.