Measuring Judicial Independence

Measuring Judicial Independence PDF Author: J. Mark Ramseyer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226703878
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Get Book

Book Description
The role of the U.S. Supreme Court in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election raised questions in the minds of many Americans about the relationships between judges and political influence; the following years saw equally heated debates over the appropriate role of political ideology in selecting federal judges. Legal scholars have always debated these questions—asking, in effect, how much judicial systems operate on merit and principle and how much they are shaped by politics. The Japanese Constitution, like many others, requires that all judges be "independent in the exercise of their conscience and bound only by this Constitution and its laws." Consistent with this requirement, Japanese courts have long enjoyed a reputation for vigilant independence—an idea challenged only occasionally, and most often anecdotally. But in this book, J. Mark Ramseyer and Eric B. Rasmusen use the latest statistical techniques to examine whether that reputation always holds up to scrutiny—whether, and to what extent, the careers of lower court judges can be manipulated to political advantage. On the basis of careful econometric analysis of career data for hundreds of judges, Ramseyer and Rasmusen find that Japanese politics do influence judicial careers, discreetly and indirectly: judges who decide politically charged cases in ways favored by the ruling party enjoy better careers after their decisions than might otherwise be expected, while dissenting judges are more likely to find their careers hampered by assignments to less desirable positions. Ramseyer and Rasmusen's sophisticated yet accessible analysis has much to offer anyone interested in either judicial independence or the application of econometric techniques in the social sciences.

Measuring Judicial Independence

Measuring Judicial Independence PDF Author: J. Mark Ramseyer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226703878
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Get Book

Book Description
The role of the U.S. Supreme Court in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election raised questions in the minds of many Americans about the relationships between judges and political influence; the following years saw equally heated debates over the appropriate role of political ideology in selecting federal judges. Legal scholars have always debated these questions—asking, in effect, how much judicial systems operate on merit and principle and how much they are shaped by politics. The Japanese Constitution, like many others, requires that all judges be "independent in the exercise of their conscience and bound only by this Constitution and its laws." Consistent with this requirement, Japanese courts have long enjoyed a reputation for vigilant independence—an idea challenged only occasionally, and most often anecdotally. But in this book, J. Mark Ramseyer and Eric B. Rasmusen use the latest statistical techniques to examine whether that reputation always holds up to scrutiny—whether, and to what extent, the careers of lower court judges can be manipulated to political advantage. On the basis of careful econometric analysis of career data for hundreds of judges, Ramseyer and Rasmusen find that Japanese politics do influence judicial careers, discreetly and indirectly: judges who decide politically charged cases in ways favored by the ruling party enjoy better careers after their decisions than might otherwise be expected, while dissenting judges are more likely to find their careers hampered by assignments to less desirable positions. Ramseyer and Rasmusen's sophisticated yet accessible analysis has much to offer anyone interested in either judicial independence or the application of econometric techniques in the social sciences.

Measuring Judicial Activism

Measuring Judicial Activism PDF Author: Stefanie Lindqquist
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195370856
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book

Book Description
'Measuring Judicial Activism' supplies empirical analysis to the widely discussed concept of judicial activism at the United States Supreme Court. The book seeks to move beyond more subjective debates by conceptualizing activism in non-ideological terms.

Judicial Independence in China

Judicial Independence in China PDF Author: Randall Peerenboom
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107375584
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book

Book Description
This volume challenges the conventional wisdom about judicial independence in China and its relationship to economic growth, rule of law, human rights protection, and democracy. The volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach that places China's judicial reforms and the struggle to enhance the professionalism, authority, and independence of the judiciary within a broader comparative and developmental framework. Contributors debate the merits of international best practices and their applicability to China; provide new theoretical perspectives and empirical studies; and discuss civil, criminal, and administrative cases in urban and rural courts. This volume contributes to several fields, including law and development and the promotion of rule of law and good governance, globalization studies, neo-institutionalism and studies of the judiciary, the emerging literature on judicial reforms in authoritarian regimes, Asian legal studies, and comparative law more generally.

Perceptions of the Independence of Judges in Europe

Perceptions of the Independence of Judges in Europe PDF Author: Frans van Dijk
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030631435
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 113

Get Book

Book Description
This open access book is about the perception of the independence of the judiciary in Europe. Do citizens and judges see its independence in the same way? Do judges feel that their independence is respected by the users of the courts, by the leadership of the courts and by politicians? Does the population trust the judiciary more than other public institutions, or less? How does independence of the judiciary work at the national level and at the level of the European Union? These interrelated questions are particularly relevant in times when the independence of the judiciary is under political pressure in several countries in the European Union, giving way to illiberal democracy. Revealing surveys among judges, lay judges and lawyers - in addition to regular surveys of the European Commission - provide a wealth of information to answer these questions. While the answers will not please everyone, they are of interest to a wide audience, in particular court leaders, judges, lawyers, politicians and civil servants.

The Culture of Judicial Independence

The Culture of Judicial Independence PDF Author: Shimon Shetreet
Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
ISBN: 9004257810
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 600

Get Book

Book Description
This volume offers an in depth analysis of current issues of culture of judicial independence in comparative perspective by senior academics, judges and practitioners across jurisdictions. It deals with central topics that stand high in the academic and public discourse on the role of judges in society and in the system of government, their constitutional position, and the relations between top domestic courts and international and supra-national courts.

The Limits of Judicial Independence

The Limits of Judicial Independence PDF Author: Tom S. Clark
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139492314
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357

Get Book

Book Description
This book investigates the causes and consequences of congressional attacks on the US Supreme Court, arguing that the extent of public support for judicial independence constitutes the practical limit of judicial independence. First, the book presents a historical overview of Court-curbing proposals in Congress. Then, building on interviews with Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, and judicial and legislative staffers, the book theorizes that congressional attacks are driven by public discontent with the Court. From this theoretical model, predictions are derived about the decision to engage in Court-curbing and judicial responsiveness to Court-curbing activity in Congress. The Limits of Judicial Independence draws on illustrative archival evidence, systematic analysis of an original dataset of Court-curbing proposals introduced in Congress from 1877 onward and judicial decisions.

The Politics of Judicial Independence

The Politics of Judicial Independence PDF Author: Bruce Peabody
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801897718
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 347

Get Book

Book Description
2011 Winner of the Selection for Professional Reading List of the U.S. Marine Corps The judiciary in the United States has been subject in recent years to increasingly vocal, aggressive criticism by media members, activists, and public officials at the federal, state, and local level. This collection probes whether these attacks as well as proposals for reform represent threats to judicial independence or the normal, even healthy, operation of our political system. In addressing this central question, the volume integrates new scholarship, current events, and the perennial concerns of political science and law. The contributors—policy experts, established and emerging scholars, and attorneys—provide varied scholarly viewpoints and assess the issue of judicial independence from the diverging perspectives of Congress, the presidency, and public opinion. Through a diverse range of methodologies, the chapters explore the interactions and tensions among these three interests and the courts and discuss how these conflicts are expressed—and competing interests accommodated. In doing so, they ponder whether the U.S. courts are indeed experiencing anything new and whether anti-judicial rhetoric affords fresh insights. Case studies from Israel, the United Kingdom, and Australia provide a comparative view of judicial controversy in other democratic nations. A unique assessment of the rise of criticism aimed at the judiciary in the United States, The Politics of Judicial Independence is a well-organized and engagingly written text designed especially for students. Instructors of judicial process and judicial policymaking will find the book, along with the materials and resources on its accompanying website, readily adaptable for classroom use.

The Culture of Judicial Independence in a Globalised World

The Culture of Judicial Independence in a Globalised World PDF Author: Shimon Shetreet
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004307087
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 511

Get Book

Book Description
This volume The Culture of Judicial Independence in a Globalised World, is an academic continuation of the previous three volumes: Judicial Independence: The Contemporary Debate, edited by Professor Shimon Shetreet and Chief Justice Deschenes (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 1985), The Culture of Judicial Independence: Conceptual Foundations and Practical Challenges, edited by Professor Shimon Shetreet and Professor Christopher Forsyth (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2012), and The Culture of Judicial Independence: Rule of Law and World Peace edited by Professor Shimon Shetreet (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2014). This volume offers papers and studies by academics, judges and practitioners from many jurisdictions on judicial independence – both national and international.

Challenged Justice: In Pursuit of Judicial Independence

Challenged Justice: In Pursuit of Judicial Independence PDF Author: Shimon Shetreet
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004421556
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 588

Get Book

Book Description
The book offers articles by senior jurists on important aspects of judicial independence and judicial process in many jurisdictions, including indicators of justice. It comes at the time of serious challenges to the judiciary, the rule of law and democracy.

Second-Best Justice

Second-Best Justice PDF Author: J. Mark Ramseyer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022628204X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Get Book

Book Description
It’s long been known that Japanese file fewer lawsuits per capita than Americans do. Yet explanations for the difference have tended to be partial and unconvincing, ranging from circular arguments about Japanese culture to suggestions that the slow-moving Japanese court system acts as a deterrent. With Second-Best Justice, J. Mark Ramseyer offers a more compelling, better-grounded explanation: the low rate of lawsuits in Japan results not from distrust of a dysfunctional system but from trust in a system that works—that sorts and resolves disputes in such an overwhelmingly predictable pattern that opposing parties rarely find it worthwhile to push their dispute to trial. Using evidence from tort claims across many domains, Ramseyer reveals a court system designed not to find perfect justice, but to “make do”—to adopt strategies that are mostly right and that thereby resolve disputes quickly and economically. An eye-opening study of comparative law, Second-Best Justice will force a wholesale rethinking of the differences among alternative legal systems and their broader consequences for social welfare.