Cover Photo: Parliament Building, Damascus, Syria (Photo Credit: iStock)
After his Islamist group overthrew Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa canceled the nation’s constitution. Three months later, Sharaa established a committee to draft a constitutional declaration. Recently, the five-year transitional constitutional declaration was signed into law.
“The new [transitional] constitution calls for judicial independence,” writes Euan Ward, a British, Lebanon-based contributor to The New York Times. “But the president is solely responsible for appointing judges to Syria’s new constitutional court, the body ostensibly intended to hold Mr. al-Shara accountable. The document does not grant power to any other body to approve his appointments but specifies only that judges must be impartial.”
United States 🇺🇸
United States Chief Justice John Roberts released a rare statement in response to President Donald Trump’s call to impeach a judge who ruled against his administration over migrant deportations. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Chief Justice Roberts said, adding that the “normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” (BBC, 03/14/25) Keep Reading »
Lawyers for a detained Columbia University student claim that the Trump administration’s policy of deporting certain foreign nationals who participate in pro-Palestinian protests is unconstitutional. The Justice Department claims authority to deport aliens whose presence or activities in the country could have “serious foreign policy consequences for the United States.” The provision the government seeks to invoke is part of a rarely used act from the 1950s, with legal experts noting their uncertainty as to its constitutionality. (Reuters, 03/14/25) Keep Reading »
A federal judge has said that the legal profession was “watching in horror” the Trump administration’s order targeting attorneys at Perkins Coie. The judge granted the firm’s request for a temporary restraining order against an executive order that sought to prevent Perkins Coie from doing business with federal contractors and to deny its lawyers access to government officials and buildings. The lawsuit marks the escalation of a feud between Trump and law firms that he has accused of being aligned against his administration’s interests. (Reuters, 03/12/25) Keep Reading »
Hungary 🇭🇺
Thousands recently rallied in Budapest against Prime Minister Victor Orban, as the surging opposition Tisza party pledged to make Hungary part of a strong Europe and end Orban’s 15-year rule. In the midst of an economic struggle, and with an election looming in 2026, Orban has continued his clash with the EU over policies that critics say eroded democracy. The Tisza party, by contrast, intends to launch a popular survey on 12 key economic and political issues to hear the “voice of the nation.” (Reuters, 03/15/25) Keep Reading »
Syria 🇸🇾
Aiming to guide the country post-conflict, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a five-year transitional constitutional declaration. The declaration makes Islamic jurisprudence the main source of legislation, marking a change from its previous designation as merely a main source of legislation. The declaration guarantees women rights to education, participation in work, and freedom of expression. Syria’s previous constitution, which became law in 2012, was suspended in January 2025. (Reuters, 03/13/25) Keep Reading »
Georgia 🇬🇪
A Georgian court sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili to an additional nine years in prison for embezzlement. Prosecutors claimed that Saakashvili misused 9 million lari (around $3.3 million) on “luxury” expenses during his presidency. The nine-year term will run concurrently with a six-year prison sentence imposed in 2021 for abuse of power, keeping Saakashvili incarcerated until 2030. Georgian television showed a commotion in court after the verdict was announced, with Saakashvili’s supporters calling the judge a “slave” to the government. In a post on X after the sentencing, Saakashvili called the verdict an “outrageous case of political persecution.” (Reuters, 03/13/25) Keep Reading »
Germany 🇩🇪
A German court has jailed five members of an extremist group linked to a planned coup. The court heard that the group aimed to create conditions for civil war in Germany through violence and disabling the nation’s power grid. In particular, they planned to kidnap the health minister, Karl Lauterbach, a figure of scorn for many opponents of the COVID-19-era restrictions. The trial is one of several targeting the wider far-right movement, whose members adhere to conspiracy theories and reject the legitimacy of the modern German state. (The Guardian, 03/05/25) Keep Reading »
The Philippines 🇵🇭
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared at an International Criminal Court (ICC) hearing in the Hague, facing charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his notorious “war on drugs” campaign, which is estimated to have killed as many as 30,000 people. Duterte’s extradition from Manila to the Netherlands pursuant to an ICC arrest warrant was chaotic. Claiming that he was being abducted, Duterte refused to be fingerprinted and told officers, “You have to kill me to bring me to The Hague.” Eventually, however, Duterte complied with the warrant. If convicted, Duterte faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment. (The Guardian 03/14/25) Keep Reading »
South Korea 🇰🇷
Both sides of the political spectrum gathered in huge numbers in Seoul to support or oppose impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol before a court decides whether his short-lived declaration of martial law disqualifies him from office. The Constitutional Court is set to determine whether to oust Yoon in a case that ignited South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades. In a recent Gallup poll, 58% of South Koreans supported Yoon’s impeachment. (Reuters, 03/15/25) Keep Reading »
Serbia 🇷🇸
In one of the nation’s largest demonstrations in decades, more than 100,000 protesters descended on Belgrade to express their opposition to President Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia has seen months of anti-government rallies after 15 deaths from a railway station roof collapse triggered accusations of widespread corruption and negligence. In recent weeks, the protests have swelled to include students, teachers, and farmers. The government strenuously denies accusations of incompetence and says Western intelligence agencies are backing a push to destabilize Serbia. (Reuters, 03/15/25) Keep Reading »
Romania 🇷🇴
In December, amid allegations of Russian meddling, the Romanian Constitutional Court voided the initial ballot of the presidential election. Calin Georgescu, who had been leading in the polls prior to the suspension, has been barred from taking part in the rerun. The postponement of the election placed Romania at the center of a dispute between the EU and the United States, with the Trump administration contending that Romania was suppressing certain political ideologies. With the rerun approaching in May, thousands of Romanians have taken to the streets of Bucharest to show their support for the European Union. The “Manifesto for Europe” — a document supported by more than 40 civil society organizations from Romania — was read out during the rally. (Reuters, 03/15/25) Keep Reading »
The March 2025 Global Judicial News Report was compiled and written by Andrew Cunningham, an LLM candidate at Duke Law School and a Student Editor for Judicature International. He also serves as a judicial extern to Judge Jeffery Carpenter of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Prior to Duke, Andrew completed his LL.B. at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), where he graduated first in his class and was the recipient of the Henry Hamilton Hunter Memorial Prize.
