by Eric Surber
Judicature International (2024) | An online-only publication
PICTURED ABOVE: The General Council for the Judiciary Headquarters in Madrid, Spain (Luis García, under Creative Commons License)
In late June 2024, political parties agreed on a 5-year mandate to restore the full power of Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). The CGPJ is a government body, separate from the courts, that is composed of 20 members who are entrusted with key functions involving judicial appointments, promotions, and transfers, as well as the discipline of judges and inspection of courts and tribunals. In January 2024, a United Nations special rapporteur raised concerns that the delay in passing the CGPJ’s mandate, which had expired in 2018, would have on the rule of law in Spain. Learn more »
Afghanistan 🇦🇫
A New York Times profile of Nargis Baran, a young attorney who fled Afghanistan in 2021, offers a perspective of how about 150 women — like Baran and the judges profiled in an earlier article in Judicature International — have adjusted in the years since their evacuation and resettlement by an informal network of international judges, attorneys, and law professors. “[Baran’s] story is one of liberation […] but also of loss for what she and other promising young people could have done for their home country had they not felt their lives were in danger,” reports Karen Zraick. (The New York Times, 7/18/2024) Keep Reading »
European Union 🇪🇺
The European Commission has published its fifth annual Rule of Law Report, which examines rule of law developments in all European Union member states. In comparison to the first issue of the Rule of Law Report adopted in 2020, the report notes that member states and the EU as a whole are much better prepared to detect, prevent, and address emerging challenges. (The European Commission Press Release, 7/24/2024) Keep Reading »
India 🇮🇳
Thousands of lawyers in India’s capital protested against an overhaul in criminal legislation by staying away from work and boycotting court hearings, as opposition mounted to the changes. Many have been angered by new laws that took effect on July 1, 2024, expanding police powers to keep people in pre-trial detention and requiring judges to issue written rulings within 45 days of the end of a trial. (Reuters, 7/15/2024) Keep Reading »
Peru 🇵🇪
Peru’s judiciary said it was extending the pre-trial detention of former President Pedro Castillo by 18 months while an investigation against him on charges of rebellion continues. The move adds four months onto the 14-month extension it had ordered back in June. (Reuters, 7/18/2024) Keep Reading »
Spain 🇪🇸
Five years of judicial deadlock is finally coming to an end in Spain as the government signed a deal with the main opposition party to restore the full power of the General Council for the Judiciary (CGPJ). The CGPJ is Spain’s most senior judicial body, governing all courts and judges. But its mandate expired in 2018, leaving it with only caretaker powers because the country’s politicians have not been able to agree on renewing the body. (Anadolu Agency, 6/25/2024) Keep Reading »
Tunisia 🇹🇳
The Court of First Instance of Tunisia sentenced opposition leader Lotfi Mraihi to eight months in prison with a lifetime ban from contesting elections on charges of illicitly influencing votes through gifts and cash, as reported by local media. Tunisia’s current president, Kais Saied, has been accused of interfering with the country’s judiciary to restrict his opposition in the upcoming election for a second term in office. (JURIST, 7/20/2024) Keep Reading »
United States 🇺🇸
President Joseph Biden is finalizing plans to endorse major changes to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, including proposals for legislation to establish term limits for the justices and an enforceable ethics code, according to two people briefed on the plans. (The Washington Post, 7/16/2024) Keep Reading »
The July 2024 Global Judicial News Report was compiled and written by Judicature’s web editor Eric Surber.
