Are US Supreme Court justices elected or appointed?

Answer 1

US Supreme Court justices are appointed by the President and approved by a simple majority vote of the Senate. This is intended to insulate the justices from political pressures and conflicts of interest that often accompany popular elections.

Answer 2

US Supreme Court justices are appointed.

Article 2 Section 2 of the US Constitution provides that Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President with the Advice and Consent of the Senate.

US Supreme Court Justices are nominated by the current President, presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee for investigation, then accepted or rejected by the US Senate.

If a nominee receives a simple majority (51) of the votes, then he or she is commissioned as a Supreme Court Justice. This is a lifetime appointment, and is served until such time as the Justice retires, resigns, dies or is impeached by the House of Representative and tried by the Senate.