Aren't judges appointed by the president in the US? Reports of Supreme Court candidates every time the US elects a president appears to indicate a lack of judicial independence.
I'm not hugely well informed on US law so could be misunderstanding this process.
Edit: Wikipedia tells me Article 3 of the Constitution makes the federal courts part of federal government
> Aren't judges appointed by the president in the US?
Appointed by, but not accountable to once appointed, and the appointments are permanent. The President can't direct judges or fire them because he doesn't like how they do their job (Congress can “fire” them by impeachment, but that requires a supermajority in the Senate after charges by a majority of the House, which means it doesn't happen on a whim of the political majority.)
I'm not hugely well informed on US law so could be misunderstanding this process.
Edit: Wikipedia tells me Article 3 of the Constitution makes the federal courts part of federal government