A Global Judicial News Report: June 2025
Judicature International (2025) | An online-only publication
Pictured Above: Headquarters of the United Nations (Getty Images Signature). The Annual Rule of Law Meeting of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was held in New York City on June 10-12, 2025. The event’s agenda offers an overview of the topics and challenges discussed, including the need to engage nontraditional stakeholders to promote the rule of law.
In the News
United States 🇺🇸 —
AI ‘Reanimations’: Making Facsimiles of the Dead Raises Ethical Quandaries
In a commentary published in “The Conversation,” researchers at the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, discuss the ethical criticism of AI facsimiles used to portray deceased individuals, especially when those portrayals are used to achieve legal, political, and other social aims. “In the end, we believe that using technological prowess to concretely bring them back disrespects them and, perhaps more importantly, is an act of disrespect to ourselves — to our capacity to abstract, think and imagine,” the write. The use of an AI facsimile in at sentencing in a case in Arizona has sparked a worldwide conversation, a topic featured in the June 2025 edition of Judicature International. (The Conversation, 06/17/25) Keep Reading »
Supreme Court Clears Path for Third-Country Deportations
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting immigrants to countries they are not from — including places like South Sudan — without first guaranteeing a hearing on the potential risks of torture or persecution. The decision pauses a lower court ruling that found the policy likely violated due process. In a strong dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned the Court was “rewarding lawlessness” and risking lives. (The Guardian, 06/23/25) Keep Reading »
Mexico 🇲🇽 —
Mexico’s President Defends Historic Judicial Election Despite Record Low Turnout
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum defended the country’s first-ever judicial election despite record-low 13% voter turnout, calling it “a complete success.” The historic vote allowed citizens to choose from 7,700 candidates for over 2,600 judicial positions, replacing merit-based appointments with popular elections. Critics warn that the low participation undermines legitimacy and represents an authoritarian power grab. Voters expressed apathy, citing confusion over unfamiliar candidates and disillusionment toward a system they view as corrupt. (Associated Press, 06/02/25) Keep Reading »
European Union 🌐 —
Europe Condemns U.S. Sanctions on International Criminal Court Judges
The EU backed the International Criminal Court after the U.S. imposed sanctions on four ICC judges in retaliation for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and investigations into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze assets and restrict banking access for judges from Uganda, Peru, Benin, and Slovenia. EU leaders condemned the move, with Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen stating, “The ICC holds perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice. It must be free to act without pressure.” (Reuters, 06/06/25) Keep Reading »
United Nations 🌐 —
UNDP Annual Rule of Law Meeting Addresses Global Justice Challenges
At the United Nations Development Programme’s Annual Rule of Law Meeting, global partners addressed rising tensions and shrinking civic space that threaten justice, peace, and human rights. Officials from Bangladesh, the DRC, Lebanon, Malawi, Morocco, and the Philippines shared progress on justice reforms. The meeting emphasized that all development must be grounded in human rights principles and deliver tangible improvements. (United Nations Development Programme, 06/13/25) Keep Reading »
South Sudan 🇸🇸 —
UN-Backed Court Review Frees 41 Wrongfully Detained Prisoners in South Sudan
The UN peacekeeping mission’s Rule of Law section brought hope to communities in Gogrial East, South Sudan, by facilitating a two-week judicial review with a judge, public prosecutor, and defender from Kuajok High Court. With no resident judge for five years, many prisoners had been detained for months or years without knowing their alleged crimes, as customary courts improperly handled criminal cases. During the review of 77 cases, 41 individuals were immediately freed, including a woman imprisoned for refusing forced marriage and a teenage girl jailed for choosing a different religion. (United Nations Peacekeeping, 06/17/25) Keep Reading »
The June 2025 Global Judicial News Report was written and compiled by Michelle Kaminsky, senior editor and writer at the Bolch Judicial Institute of Duke Law School.