Judge James Peck approved the appointment at a hearing in U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan.

The U.S. Trustee's office, which oversees bankruptcy cases in New York, has already interviewed several candidates for the job, U.S. Trustee Diana Adams said at the hearing.

The examiner is expected to look into the collapse of the investment bank and surrounding issues, including the sale of Lehman's core U.S. brokerage to Barclays .

"The examiner has to be someone who is fiercely independent, of the highest integrity and not afraid to take on anyone, including the Federal Reserve," Lehman chief executive Bryan Marsal said at the hearing. "It has to be a process where everyone can be examined."

(Reporting by Emily Chasan)