Please explain the different ways that an attorney may become a judge. In chapter 8, you will recall, several pathways to a judgeship are discussed. In your answer please note the following: (1) The pathway to a federal court judgeship and (2) the various pathways that exist among state court judgeships across the United States.

As it relates to trial court judgeships, do you think merit appointments or elections produce a better judicial bench? Be sure to cite evidence from the reading (or outside sources) to support your answer.

Please note that all response posts must contain a minimum of 500 words and include proper citation. Any response post that fails to meet the minimum word count will receive a grade of zero.