by Eric Surber
Judicature International (2024) | An online-only publication
Pictured Above: The Palace of Justice of Colombia in Bogota, Colombia (Bernard Gagnon, under Creative Commons License)
The Palace of Justice of Colombia serves as the seat of the highest court and is a symbol of justice in Colombia. In a raid of nearby homes earlier this month, officials discovered a model of the court along with ammunition and explosives that suggested plans for a large-scale attack. In Latin America, threats of physical violence have often been used to undermine judicial independence, as noted in this 2021 feature article in Judicature. These threats have only continued to rise around the world. In response, our publisher, the Bolch Judicial Institute of Duke Law School, has established a new initiative to unite bar associations and public service organizations in defense of the judiciary in the United States. Learn more »
Argentina 🇦🇷
An Argentine federal judge ordered a three-month suspension of deforestation in northern Chaco province, a rare step to protect one of the world’s woodland ecosystems that is most rapidly being destroyed to make way for farmland. (Reuters, MSN, 8/16/2024) Keep Reading »
Colombia 🇨🇴
Colombia boosted security at the Supreme Court in Bogota after uncovering an alleged plot to attack the courthouse, officials said. The court’s president Gerson Chaverra told journalists that police had found a model of the Palace of Justice with ammunition and explosives in a raid of homes near the court. (Barron’s, 8/16/2024) Keep Reading »
Indonesia 🇮🇩
Indonesia President Joko Widodo said he respected the decisions of the country’s institutions amid a move by his allies in parliament to try to reverse a court decision that changed qualification criteria for regional elections. His remarks come during a rare power struggle between Indonesia’s parliament and judiciary. (U.S. News, Reuters, 8/21/2024) Keep Reading »
Mexico 🇲🇽
Federal judges voted to go on strike across Mexico to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed overhaul of the country’s judicial system. The judges will join thousands of other court employees who had already gone on indefinite strike over the contentious policy changes. (The New York Times, 8/19/2024) Keep Reading »
Poland 🇵🇱
President Andrzej Duda of Poland asked a contested top court to decide whether reform of a body that appoints judges is constitutional, effectively blocking legislation the government, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, says is key to restoring the rule of law. (Reuters, 8/19/2024) Keep Reading »
Slovakia 🇸🇰
The Slovak government rejected criticism from the European Commission over the state of the rule of law in the country. The Commission raised concerns over a reform of the criminal law and dissolution of a special prosecution office dealing with graft, and over judicial and media independence in an annual rule of law report released last month. Government officials denounced the criticism as misleading. (U.S. News & World Report, 8/21/2024) Keep Reading »
Thailand 🇹🇭
People in Thailand are accustomed to sudden changes of government brought on by military coups, which number more than a dozen since the 1930s. But in the past two decades, the country has increasingly seen such changes imposed by the courts, which have ousted four prime ministers and dissolved three election-winning political parties, often on narrow technical grounds. (The Guardian, 8/21/2024) Keep Reading »
United Nations 🌐
A date has been set for public hearings at the International Court of Justice, which could help define countries’ legal obligations to fight climate change. The top United Nations court announced that public hearings will open on December 2 in a landmark case seeking a non-binding advisory opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” (EuroNews, 8/19/2024) Keep Reading »
The August 2024 Global Judicial News Report was compiled and written by Judicature’s web editor Eric Surber.
