court judges a 12-year term. the american system of selection is also extraordinarily political. in many european countries there are panels of experts that play a large role of sending forward nominees or vetting them. the competition is designed to be bipartisan and involving legal experts. france's high council of the judiciary is mostly made up of elected judges, with a few appointed by other bodies. britain has a somewhat similar selection process. and it's rare to reject the advice of these bodies. some european supreme courts are required to rule by consensus rather than majority vote. and they often take pains not to air their political divisions. do not public dissent to maintain the court's image of