Aylin Aydin, “Judicial Independence across Democratic Regimes: Understanding the Varying Impact of Political Competition.” Law & Society Review, vol. 47, no. 1 (2013): 105–34. Summary: One of the most prominent explanations of the creation and maintenance …
Archive
Fiss (1993), “The Limits of Judicial Independence.”
Owen M. Fiss, “The Limits of Judicial Independence.” The University of Miami Inter-American Law Review, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Fall, 1993): pp. 57-76 Summary: Two assumptions frequently underlie discussions concerning the transitions from dictatorship to democracy …
Huneeus (2010), “Judging from a Guilty Conscience: The Chilean Judiciary’s Human Rights Turn.”
Alexandra Huneeus, “Judging from a Guilty Conscience: The Chilean Judiciary’s Human Rights Turn.” Law & Social Inquiry, vol. 35, no. 1 (2010): 99–135. Summary: Since the detention of General Pinochet in London in 1998 on …
Guzmán (2014), “The Chilean Dictatorship and the Judiciary.”
Juan Guzmán, “The Chilean Dictatorship and the Judiciary.” California Western International Law Journal, Vol. 44, No. 2 (2014): 207-216 Summary: The Chilean judiciary was considered to be traditionally independent up until 1970, when Salvador Allende was …
Judges Resist Political Interference
In New Jersey on July 22, a panel of federal judges refused to extend the interim tenure of Alina Habba – a former lawyer for President Donald Trump – as U.S. Attorney. They instead appointed …
Maurene Comey Fired from U.S. Attorney’s Office Amid Political Turmoil
Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey and a lead prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, was abruptly fired from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office in July 2025. No reason …
US considered charging Minnesota judges, lawyers in immigration crackdown, sources say
In a previously unreported investigation, the U.S. Justice Department explored bringing criminal charges against Minnesota judges and defense attorneys who suggested virtual court hearings to protect undocumented immigrants from arrest by federal agents. The FBI …
Hundreds of DOJ alumni warn Senate against Trump’s appellate judge nominee
More than 900 former U.S. Department of Justice employees have signed a letter warning the Senate Judiciary Committee against confirming Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third …
UN warns that lawyers are being imprisoned in Tunisia for speaking out
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has condemned the Tunisian government’s escalating repression of lawyers, warning that arrests and prosecutions of legal professionals for exercising free speech or defending politically sensitive clients pose a grave …
Bove Nomination Opposed by Judges Who Sat on the Same Bench
More than 75 former federal and state judges, including two retired members of the Third Circuit, have publicly opposed Emil Bove’s nomination to that same court, citing a pattern of misconduct, political entanglement, and disregard …