Article III Judges (District Judges)

Article III of the Constitution governs the appointment, tenure, and payment of Supreme Court justices, and federal circuit and district judges. These judges, often referred to as “Article III judges,” are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Article III states that these judges “hold their office during good behavior,” which means they have a lifetime appointment, except under very limited circumstances. Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. Article III judgeships are created by legislation enacted by Congress.

The Constitution also provides that judges’ salaries cannot be reduced while they are in office. Article III judicial salaries are not affected by geography or length of tenure.

District judges serve in 91 U.S. district courts across the country. They handle civil and criminal cases. A district court judge typically is responsible for supervising the pretrial process and conducting trials, which includes a variety of procedures including:

• managing the selection of juries and the instructions jurors receive throughout a trial;
• ruling on admission of evidence;
• pleas in criminal cases;
• resolving any issues surrounding the acceptance of the verdict and entry of judgment; and
• sentencing the defendant if a trial results in conviction.

Learn more about appellate and district judgeships, which are created by legislation enacted by Congress.