Executive power has disproportionately increased vastly in the ~50 years since the Pentagon Papers. Covert warfare irrespective of congressional approval, public knowledge, or international boundaries like that exposed in the Pentagon Papers has become normalized since at least 2001.
Pretending judges are somehow magically independent and immune to political influences and pressures is silly.
With that being said I'm not sure I agree 100% with the parent comment you were replying to.
The "US" didn't lose. Nixon lost because he went up against the establishment powers who backed the NYTimes. So the "US" won.
The supreme court isn't an "independent judiciary". They are part of the power structure. The supreme court is a political court filled with political appointees. It's why appointments to the supreme court are political fiascos.
Somehow I don't think assange is going to get the same treatment as the nytimes since he doesn't have the backing of political or media bigshots that the nytimes does.
Assange is the enemy of both the republican and democratic parties. He is the enemy of the nytimes, wapo and all establishment media. Assange will get no more a fair trial in the US than a ugyhur would get in a chinese court.
Just like the Pentagon Papers ruling was a sure thing long before Nixon decided to go after the NYTimes. Assange's fate is sealed.
You seem to be defining the "US power structure" as "what won those cases". Then the "US power structure" always wins, by definition.
It's hard to see what evidence would be sufficient to persuade you that your view is mistaken. For those who don't share your initial assumption, however, your argument is completely unpersuasive.
The independent judiciary is a real thing, and it really matters.