Federal judges are not elected by voters. Our constitutional process gives the president the authority to nominate federal judges and then appoint them if the Senate consents.
Yet both Republican and Democratic voters place great importance on who fills open federal judgeships. Thus, the kind of judges a presidential candidate will nominate has become a major electoral issue. It might have been the deciding factor in 2016 in favor of former President Donald Trump. It might be again either for him or for Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5.
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