Odds of Getting In
Not good. We know, we know—why didn't we tell you that up front so we could have saved you the agony of having to read all this stuff? It's not that there are no opportunities to become a judge; it's just that more and more cases are being handled by arbitrators or mediators who can save individuals or companies many months of agonizing litigation.
There's also quite a bit of competition to grab one of these seats, partly because of the prestige associated with being a judge, and partly because everyone pretty much wants to be sitting up higher than everyone else. It's a status thing.