Many countries have an entity known as a judicial council, responsible for different aspects of judicial governance, from overseeing the judicial career to promoting professional standards and court efficiency. Recent reform initiatives have focused on ensuring that judicial councils operate…
Judges are expected to be knowledgeable about the law, familiar with court procedure, and comport themselves in a professional and respectful manner. Canons of judicial conduct codify these expectations and judicial institutes prepare judges to meet them. While most countries have a judicial…
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…