Cover Photo: Supreme Court of Canada (Getty Images Signature)
The Supreme Court of Canada was established in 1875. In the 148 years since, the Court has grown from six justices to nine and has become one of the most powerful apex courts in the world. The Court has the power of judicial review, including review of Constitutional amendments. In an article published last year, Professor Richard Albert writes that its power to review constitutional reforms “puts the Canadian Supreme Court in contention for the title of the most powerful court in the world.”
Canada 🇨🇦
A Canadian federal court issued an order that criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Justice Minister for “letting the number of judicial vacancies reach a state of crisis.” Last June, the Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court described the number of judicial vacancies as “untenable” and a risk “to justice and the health of [Canada’s] democratic institutions.” Months later, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown wrote that the number of vacancies remained “essentially unchanged” and declared in the opinion that “these vacancies must be materially reduced within a reasonable time to a reasonable level.” (CBC, 2.13.2024) Keep reading »
India 🇮🇳
India’s highest court declared the country’s electoral bond scheme unconstitutional. Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, individuals and companies could purchase bonds from India’s state-run bank and use the instruments to make unlimited, anonymous political donations. In its decision, the court expressed concern about the influence of political contributions on policy making. (Reuters, 2.15.2024) Keep reading »
International Court of Justice 🌐
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held its final hearing on the legality of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. The proceedings were conducted pursuant to a 2022 request for an advisory opinion by the U.N. General Assembly. The hearings in late February on Israel’s occupation were separate from South Africa’s recent allegations that Israel’s military operations in Gaza had violated the Genocide Convention. The ICJ’s advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is expected to take several months. (The New York Times, 2.26.2024) Keep reading »
Pakistan 🇵🇰
A Pakistani appeals court ordered the country’s telecommunication regulator to restore access to the social media platform X. The decision came several days after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority blocked access to X in anticipation of protests organized by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. (Asia News Network, 2.23.2024) Keep reading »
Russia 🇷🇺
Amnesty International condemned a Russian court’s decision to sentence 33 Ukrainian prisoners of war to multi-decade sentences in a penal colony after sham trials before illegitimate tribunals in the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic. Anna Wright, an Amnesty International researcher, said the “sparse description” of the alleged war crimes suggests the POWs were “prosecuted for merely taking part in the war as part of the Ukrainian armed forces.” (Amnesty International, 2.12.2024) Keep reading »
Turkey 🇹🇷
The International Bar Association (IBA) and The Arrested Lawyers Initiative (TALI) released a report that documents how the Turkish government has used anti-terrorism legislation to target lawyers “through unfair trials, arbitrary detainment, imprisonment and harassment.” The report estimates that 1,700 lawyers have been prosecuted, 700 remain in pretrial detention, and 553 have been sentenced to several years in prison for defending political dissidents in court. (International Bar Association, 2.13.2024) Keep reading »
