The responsibility for populating top positions in the Executive and Judicial Branches of government is one the Senate and the President share. The President nominates an individual, the Senate may confirm him, and the President would then present him with a signed commission. The Constitution divided the responsibility for choosing the most senior leaders who run the Federal Government.
Article II, Section 2
Says that the President 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.
Sharing the process for appointing and confirming nominations can pose challenges to the President and the Senate, and it has sometimes been the focus of significant tension between the branches. Currently, hundreds of people go through the appointment and confirmation process each year. The pace of the appointment and confirmation processes has been the subject of a series of reports and proposals, with many critics charging that the vetting by the Executive Branch is excessive or that the confirmation process by the Senate is too long and difficult, which discourages people from seeking government service.
