A snooty waiter might condescend to serve you dinner at a fancy restaurant, meaning that he'd consider himself far too important to carry out the mundane task of delivering your hamburger and fries. You might have noticed that condescend contains the word descend, meaning to move down from a higher place. You can think of condescend as lowering yourself to do a task that you feel is far beneath you. Kings and queens would never condescend to do their own laundry at the palace, for example. If they even knew how to do the laundry, you can be sure they'd do it in a condescending, or superior, way to let everyone know that housework is no task for a monarch.
Appointment of federal judges is a two-step process involving both the Executive and Legislative Branches of government. The President (Executive Branch) nominates someone for a vacancy on the bench, and the Senate (Legislative Branch) approves or rejects the nomination to complete the appointment. The executive branch (specifically the President) appoints federal judges subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Federal Article I Judges. Article I courts are created by Congress to administer the laws that Congress writes. These can include bankruptcy courts, tax courts, and certain military courts. Judges are appointed by Congress and serve for 10 years, after which they may be reappointed. Selection of State Court Judges . How state court judges are selected varies by state. States choose judges in any of the following ways: Appointment: The state's governor or legislature will choose their judges. Merit Selection: Judges are chosen by a legislative committee based on each potential judge's past performance. Some states hold retention elections to determine if the judge should continue to serve.