I'm late to this party, and have too little time to read 22 pages of bickering about something that is of limited direct relevance to me, so forgive me if it's already been answered, but can someone explain to me whether the US has a "separation of powers" principle? It appears not, or am I reading the situation incorrectly? It's utterly foreign to me, from here, that judicial appointments could be openly partisan political, and that political parties fight over and rub their hands with glee at the opportunity to stack the bench of the highest court in the land with people who are obviously and openly sympathetic to one side or another. How does that work? Is that how it's meant to be, or has it morphed over time?