Judicial Independence

THE INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Vol. 5, pp. 1369-1372, Bertrand Badie, Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Leonardo Morlino, eds., 2011

Washington U. School of Law Working Paper No. 10-02-06

6 Pages Posted: 25 Feb 2010 Last revised: 15 Jan 2012

See all articles by David S. Law

David S. Law

University of Virginia School of Law; The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Law

Date Written: February 25, 2010

Abstract

This essay, written for the International Encyclopedia of Political Science, explains why the concept of "judicial independence" has proven notoriously difficult to define. It surveys how the term has in fact been employed, then discusses what variables must be addressed in order to fashion a definition that is both intellectually coherent and cognizant of differences between courts in different countries.

In a literal sense, judicial independence refers to the ability of courts and judges to perform their duties free of influence or control by other actors. However, the term is more often used in a normative sense to refer to the kind of independence that it is considered desirable for courts and judges to possess. Consequently, there are two sources of confusion over its meaning. The first is conceptual, in the form of a lack of clarity regarding the kinds of independence that courts and judges are capable of possessing. The second is normative, in the form of disagreement over what kind of independence courts and judges ought to possess.

To be both comprehensive and coherent, a definition of judicial independence must address several questions. The first is the question of independence for whom; the second is the question of independence from whom; and the third is the question of independence from what. To supply satisfying answers to these questions, however, demands resort to some normative theory, explicit or otherwise, of why judicial independence is valuable and what it is supposed to accomplish. In other words, it is also necessary to address the question of independence for what purpose.

Keywords: judicial independence, judicial accountability, judicial review, rule of law, separation of powers

JEL Classification: K40, P16

Suggested Citation

Law, David S., Judicial Independence (February 25, 2010). THE INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Vol. 5, pp. 1369-1372, Bertrand Badie, Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Leonardo Morlino, eds., 2011, Washington U. School of Law Working Paper No. 10-02-06, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1557348 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1557348

David S. Law (Contact Author)

University of Virginia School of Law ( email )

580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Law ( email )

Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
China

HOME PAGE: http://www.davidlaw.ca

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