The president has the power to nominate candidates for Supreme Court and other federal judge positions based on the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution. This clause empowers the president to appoint certain public officials with the “advice and consent” of the U.S. Senate. Acts of Congress have established 13 courts of appeals (also called “circuit courts”) with appellate jurisdiction over different regions of the country. Every judge appointed to the court may be categorized as a federal judge with approval from the Senate.
