Why does it say he was appointed then?
Confused?
The statute (Federal Magistrates Act of 1968) uses the word "appointed," because "elected" sounds like an election by the public. But it says "[t]he judges of each United States district court... shall appoint United States magistrate judges...by the concurrence of a majority of all the judges of such district court" so there is normally not one person doing the "appointing." In any event, it isn't the President who appoints magistrates.