Educate me.Can a Federal or a Supreme court Judge Hold an Inquiry independently against any high official.?

Question

I know a Fedral judge was involved in Watergate Inquiry.Did he do it on his own accord or was he Told to do so?

Answer 1

The special prosecutor in the Watergate inquiry was Archibald Cox. He was from a family with a long history in the legal profession but was never a judge as far as I recall.