Most judicial systems around the world have adopted codes of conduct or equivalent rules to guide judicial officers on a range of issues. Although there are different models for enforcing norms of judicial behavior, there is global consensus that judicial integrity requires the highest ethical…
Accountability—of government institutions and officials—is an integral component of the rule of law. One tool used to promote judicial branch accountability is judicial performance evaluation. Assessing judicial “quality” is a complex and sensitive undertaking. Those critical of efforts to evaluate…
When deciding how to select judges, governments consider a number of factors. Some prioritize high performance on a competitive examination.
There are three main methods by which judges are selected around the world: appointment, competitive exam, and election. Different…
Almost every country limits the tenure of judges, imposing either a mandatory retirement age or a term of years.
Most countries have different tenure provisions for each level of court.
A notable exception is the United States federal judiciary: the constitution accords Article III federal…
Nations follow different legal traditions and have adopted theories of jurisprudence and approaches to adjudication that best suit their culture and needs. Many countries also have specialized justice mechanisms to address discrete needs, for example military justice and transitional justice…
Countries use a variety of terms to describe components of a judicial system, the litigation process, and what judges do. Vocabulary matters a great deal in the transnational context.
The right to counsel in criminal cases is fundamental to a fair trial. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the first instrument of international law to set forth this right; it was later affirmed in multiple international conventions and national constitutions. In 2012, the United Nations…