Human Rights Watch has called on the Maldives government to reinstate three Supreme Court justices—Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Husnu Al Suood—who were suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) under what observers describe as politically motivated disciplinary actions. The suspensions occurred as the Supreme Court was preparing to rule on a politically …
At an April 10 panel hosted by the National Constitution Center, four federal judges—Michelle Childs (D.C. Circuit), Margaret McKeown (9th Circuit), Beth Bloom (S.D. Fla.), and Stephen Bough (W.D. Mo.)—issued a stark warning: escalating threats, intimidation, and political attacks on judges are eroding public trust and endangering the judiciary’s role in American democracy. Drawing on …
The Trump administration has created a major bottleneck in the immigration court system by firing over two dozen immigration judges and prompting the resignation or reassignment of more than 100 others, resulting in a 70% reduction in staffing across dozens of courts. The mass vacancies have intensified an already severe backlog of over 4 million …
French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly defended the independence of the judiciary following threats against Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis, who sentenced far-right leader Marine Le Pen to a five-year election ban for embezzlement of European Parliament funds. Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, was convicted for orchestrating fake job contracts to funnel EU …
On March 26, 2025, a panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices unanimously voted to indict former President Jair Bolsonaro for his role in an alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 election and retain power. Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro and 33 allies of plotting a coup, which allegedly included plans to assassinate President Lula …
A surge in threats against U.S. federal judges has raised alarm following a wave of inflammatory social media posts from Elon Musk and allies of President Trump, targeting judges who have ruled against key administration initiatives. Musk has publicly called judges “corrupt” and “radical,” leading to heightened security alerts from the U.S. Marshals Service and …
President Javier Milei appointed two Supreme Court justices—Federal Judge Ariel Lijo and legal scholar Manuel García-Mansilla—by presidential decree, bypassing the constitutionally mandated Senate approval process after months of failing to secure the required two-thirds majority. Human Rights Watch condemned the move as one of the most serious threats to Argentina’s judicial independence since the return …
On January 18, 2025, two senior Iranian Supreme Court judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were shot dead in a premeditated assassination inside the Supreme Court building in Tehran. The attacker also killed himself while fleeing, and a bodyguard was injured. The motive is unclear, but both judges had long-standing roles in Iran’s judiciary and …
In a rare and bold move, six senior judges from Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court have publicly accused the country’s powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of interfering in judicial affairs. Their open letter details shocking instances of surveillance, coercion, and even the abduction and torture of family members, all allegedly aimed at influencing rulings …