by Eric Surber
Judicature International (2023) | An online-only publication
Editor’s Note: We’re offering a new feature each month with our news roundup — a spotlight on the art and architecture of a global courthouse. Let us know what you think at judicature@law.duke.edu.
The Supreme Court of India’s central dome
The Supreme Court of India is built in an Indo-British style that artfully combines Western architectural elements with traditional Indian design. Completed in 1958, the building is shaped to represent the balancing scales of justice, with the central wing and dome (depicted above) as the balancing rod and point. This is best viewed from above. The Supreme Court of India was established in 1950, three years after India achieved independence from Britain. The country’s Constitution was adopted on Jan. 26, 1950. The first sitting of the court occurred two days later. Ever since, it has had the distinction of being the highest court in the world’s largest democracy. Read more about the India Supreme Court’s history here.
Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled against an attempt to limit the creation of new Indigenous territories. The Court majority must still decide the touchy subject of whether damages should be paid to property owners who lose land to newly created Indigenous reservations. (France 24, 9/22/2023) Keep reading»
Justice Rosalie S. Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada (retired) received the 2023 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Medal of Honor from the World Jurist Association in July. “What good is the rule of law if there’s no justice? And to make justice happen, we can never forget how the world looks to those who are vulnerable,” she said in her acceptance remarks. (Washington Post, 8/14/2023 ) Keep reading»
Guatemala’s prosecutor for electoral crimes has asked the Supreme Court of Justice to strip five magistrates of the country’s top electoral authority of their immunity so they can be investigated on fraud allegations. (AP News, 9/5/2023) Keep reading»
India’s Supreme Court released a glossary in August that lists “gender-unjust terms” the legal community should avoid when preparing pleas, orders, and judgments and suggests some alternatives. (Reuters, 8/18/2023) Keep reading»
Fallout continues after the first bill in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judiciary overhaul proposal passed in August. Some military personnel are refusing to report to duty in protest of the bill, jeopardizing the nation’s security. (Al Jazeera, 8/15/2023) Keep reading »
Hon. Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, chairperson of an election tribunal court in Kano, Nigeria, testified in open court that a senior official had been trying to bribe her for months. The Kano government responded by saying officials are actively working to end corruption and bribes. (Peoples Gazette, 8/17/2023) Keep reading »
A court in Panama convicted and sentenced former President Ricardo Martinelli to more than 10 years in prison on money laundering charges, the attorney general’s office said July 18. (Associated Press, 7/18/2023) Keep reading »
South Africa is experiencing a severe shortage of judges that has caused a backlog of cases and forced one court to recruit temporary, for-hire judges from law schools. (The Citizen, 7/27/2023) Keep reading »
Executive Director Dmytro Boyarchuk of CASE, a think tank based in Ukraine, wrote an op-ed calling for simplified systems of communication between the government and taxpayers to strengthen the rule of law. (The Hill, 8/17/2023) Keep reading »
A group of current and retired Ukraine judges formed a paramilitary squad to assist in air defense by shooting down drones. (The Wall Street Journal, 9/20/2023) Keep reading »
