Why does the President appoint US Supreme Court justices?

Answer 1

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the US Constitution assigns the President power to nominate a Supreme Court justice with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Appointment to the Court is a shared power, not the President's alone.

Although the Framers didn't explain their reasons for establishing this particular system, political expedience undoubtedly played a role. One person (the President), representing a single party (but mindful of the other party's political power), can make an informed choice fairly quickly. The Senate, on the other hand, with two parties fighting for control, could get bogged down in partisan politics and drag out selection for a long time.

If the Senate only has one person to evaluate, their role becomes much simpler: investigate, evaluate, appoint or reject. This is a dramatic oversimplification of the appointment process, but the general reasoning seems sound.

The shared power between Executive and Legislative branches is part of the US government's system of checks and balances that helps ensure no single branch becomes too powerful.

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2

"[The President] shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments."

Answer 2

It adds people from the President's own party to the Supreme Court

Answer 3

The President appoints Supreme court justices because that is one of his duties as specified in the US Constitution.