The first is the appointment method, in which the executive
of the state nominates an individual to become a judge, and (usually) the state
senate must confirm the nominee before he or she takes office. The
second method is known as “retention elections,” in which the executive will
appoint a judge to the bench, and then after a certain term, voters are asked
whether or not they want to retain the judge. Finally,
there are “competitive elections,” in which judges run for their seat in more
or less the same way that other elected officials run for office: they are
nominated by a party (usually through a primary election), and then they run
against a nominee from the other party in the general election.
