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Your first bet is to express your interest in the job and identify who among the existing law clerks are discretionary/exam clerks. No matter how great you are at the job, it’s a question of numbers and whether a vacancy will exist when you want to join.
I don’t understand the question of needing to get in touch with the judge. Most interns work out of their residential offices. You’ll have to identify a good time to bring this up. But you’ll have ‘access’ to the judge fairly often. Don’t spring the question on him/her right from the start and always ask the law clerks about the office policy and the likelihood of a vacancy existing before you speak to them. Ensure you’ve had a chance to present some solid work to the Judge before you ask about working with them.
These aren’t assessment internships. Interns to SC judges are to help decrease their burden and there’s no guarantee of a job offer. By making a discretionary appointment, the judge is expressing confidence in your abilities and has some sort of an equation with you. It is not possible ordinarily to establish in 1 internship, so you might have to do a second one. Even then, there’s no guarantee.
One small piece of advice: be courteous and polite to the clerks and the staff, and as respectful as you can be to the judge. There is no need to excessively praise anyone or provide your opinions in unnecessary matters, such as telling the judge which of their judgements you agreed with unprompted. A sense of discreetness and sobriety are required for this role.
Hope this helps!