"Courts and Political Parties" is an academic book that explores the complex relationship between political parties and constitutional judges, examining their influence on judicial independence. It employs the theory of separation of powers to analyze how the power dynamics between the executive and legislative branches affect the independence of the judiciary. In particular, it demonstrates that political parties can exert significant influence over judges even in a divided government, especially when opposition parties are able to form a legislative coalition to control the reappointment of judges. The book uses Ecuador as a case study to challenge common assumptions in judicial politics and provides valuable insights for students of comparative judicial politics, Latin American politics, and Latin American law.