#judicial-independence

#judicial-independence

Trump wins 69% of cases before Trump-appointed district judges. Now compare that to: 21% win rate before non-Trump Republican appointees and 38.6% win rate before Democratic appointees. Earlier Republican-appointed judges rule against Trump at a rate approaching four out of five cases. That means Trump's 69% success rate before his own appointees isn't some partisan alignment, but rather a notable statistical anomaly.

After months of mounting pressure on independent media, academic institutions and NGOs, Serbia's ruling majority has turned its attention to the judiciary. In an expedited procedure, without public debate or consultations and bypassing established legislative standards, the Serbian parliament last week adopted a package of amendments to core judicial laws that critics say threatens the independence of the country's judiciary.

The situation in Minnesota continues to prove an abject nightmare. The Trump administration continues to ignore and flagrantly undermine judges. If the administration put half as much effort into honoring its legal obligations as it places into attacking judges on social media, perhaps they wouldn't be staring down a massive staffing crisis - a crisis they're trying to resolve by asking people on Elon Musk's pornification site to sign up as AUSAs.

It's not only law firms and legal departments that are adopting GenAI systems without fully understanding what they can and cannot do - court systems may also be tempted to adopt these tools to short circuit workloads in the face of limited resources. And that poses some risks and concerns to the rule of law, a notion that hinges on accuracy, fairness, and public perception.

The bill will be sent back to the senate, which already passed it on Monday, for minor tweaks before it is likely to be signed by the president, Asif Ali Zardari. Under the amendment, Munir who was nominated to become a five-star general stands to have unprecedented powers. He will be elevated to the newly created post of chief of defence forces, overseeing not just the army but also the navy and air force, while also being granted lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution.

Mongolian Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar has stepped down after only four months as leader of the country, after receiving a crushing vote of no confidence from politicians, the country's parliament has announced. Mongolia's 126-seat national parliament, the State Great Khural, held the vote on Friday in which a reported 111 members of parliament cast their ballots, with 71 supporting Zandanshatar's dismissal and 40 opposing, according to a parliamentary statement.

The Justice Department lied in a judicial misconduct complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, referring to attached evidence that was not provided and may not even be in the possession of the DOJ. The complaint, addressed to Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the DC Circuit, alleged that Judge Boasberg attempted to intimidate Chief Justice John Roberts at the March meeting of the Judicial Conference.

And no surprise, judges in those countries have repeatedly done what Orban and Erdogan want. Donald Trump has not had the opportunity to pack the US supreme court to nearly the same degree. Nor has he, despite his brash, bullying ways, done much to pressure or browbeat the court's nine justices. Nevertheless, the court's conservative supermajority has ruled time after time in favor of Trump since he returned to office.

Sarkozy was last week sentenced to five years in prison after a court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over a scheme to get election campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He said after the verdict that the hatred towards him definitely has no limits. Sarkozy, who denied wrongdoing and has appealed, will be informed next month when he is to begin his jail sentence.

Intimidation and death threats against judges are absolutely unacceptable in a democracy,

The United Kingdom, the originator of the cherished Common Law legal tradition, has a proud reputation of judicial integrity. Recent changes to the global balance of power may limit the reach of the UK's courts, but their reputation for incorruptibility remains undimmed. In global rankings, the UK comes 15th out of 142 countries for overall rule of law, with judicial autonomy noted to be particularly strong according to the World Justice Project's 2023 Rule of Law Index.

Decades ago, when I was a baby lawyer, I thought that I wanted to be a judge. Judges ran courtrooms, or the clerks did. The judge was almost always a white male (female judges hadn't really cracked the judicial glass ceiling, let alone had a person of color). He belonged to the right, white clubs, could leave early for a tee time if all the cases had either been settled, trialed, or off calendar.

But so many of the basic tenets we used to take as settled just aren't anymore. Remember checks and balances? There was a time when we assumed that no one branch of the federal government could dominate the other two to such an extent as to render precedent irrelevant. Yet, here we are. I'd have a hard time teaching checks and balances with a straight face now.

The Federal Constitutional Court is seen as the "guardian of Germans' basic rights" and only court to decide on banning a political party.

The European Union deeply regrets the United States sanctions placed on four judges at the International Criminal Court, emphasizing the need for judicial independence and justice.

The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies, Rubio wrote.

"The campaign has highlighted stark ideological divides, with the outcome expected to determine whether Poland continues along a nationalist path or pivots more decisively towards liberal democratic norms."

You have to be an adult to enter a strip club, but Clinton-appointed Judge John Steele wants sexually-explicit drag shows to take place next to a popular children's playground in Naples.

The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting. The Founding Fathers knew this! Accordingly, they took pains to enshrine in the Constitution certain rights that would serve as the foundation for that independence.

The open letter from nine EU states aims to reinterpret the European Convention on Human Rights to facilitate the expulsion of foreign national criminals, raising major concerns.

US District Judge John McConnell's involvement with a homeless services provider poses serious conflicts of interest regarding his recent ruling against the Trump administration's policies.

"Dugan faces up to six years in prison if she's convicted on both counts; her defense team maintains her innocence and looks forward to being vindicated in court."