Judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Cardiff School of Law and Politics
Abstract
Judicial independence has traditionally been associated with developed democracies. This has changed in the last few decades as judicial independence increased in countries with authoritarian (where powers are centralised in an office held by an individual or a group) and hybrid (a mix of autocratic and democratic features) regimes such as Colombia, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
My doctoral research explored the unexpected emergence after 2005 of decisions against the government's political interests by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) which had, until then, shown little independence from military and political elites. The aim of my thesis was to explain how and why, in the context of authoritarian and hybrid regimes such as the three regimes in Pakistan from 2005 to 2013, the judiciary was able to increase its independence. I argued that several factors including the rise of the middle-class and media due to socio-economic changes, the emergence of a judge as a popular leader, and divisions within political elites contributed to the increase in judicial independence during these authoritarian and hybrid regimes in Pakistan. A key lesson offered by this research is that competition amongst, and between, disparate groups of elites and the middle class in their pursuit of different interests contributed to the increase in judicial independence.
Building on my PhD, this fellowship aims to influence social and political actors contributing to judicial independence by widely disseminating the findings of my research and engaging directly with researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, judges, and the general public on the subject of judicial independence. First, I will consolidate my scholarly contributions to the field of judicial independence via two articles and by securing a leading publisher for the publication of monograph (based on my PhD thesis).
Second, I will organise a closed workshop at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University towards the end of the project for members of key groups involved in judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes including researchers, practitioners, judges, civil society organisations, journalists, and policymakers. Academics and PhD students from different universities working in the area will be invited to attend the workshop. A number of key participants have already agreed to participate via Skype including representatives of civil society organisations and prominent journalists from Pakistan. A number of senior judges from Pakistan have expressed interest in attending subject to their schedules. A key individual from the Judicial Policy Making Committee of Pakistan(JPMCP) will also be invited to participate and to share the findings with senior judges responsible for judicial reforms. The goal of the workshop is to provide a forum to open up interdisciplinary discussions with key groups that go beyond the discussion of constitutions and instead invite critical discussions of the roles played by the social and political groups in increasing judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes.
Third, I aim to improve my research network and research skills through participation in annual conferences of the Socio-legal Studies Association and the International Society of Public Law.
Fourth, I will develop this research for a future funding proposal for a comparative project on judicial independence in countries with authoritarian and hybrid regimes including those in Colombia, Egypt and Indonesia. The project will also aim to investigate how international civil society organisations contribute to judicial independence in these regimes.
Finally, my goal is to engage with a wider audience by creating a website for the posting of blogs on judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes and for uploading relevant data, research findings and reports.
My doctoral research explored the unexpected emergence after 2005 of decisions against the government's political interests by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) which had, until then, shown little independence from military and political elites. The aim of my thesis was to explain how and why, in the context of authoritarian and hybrid regimes such as the three regimes in Pakistan from 2005 to 2013, the judiciary was able to increase its independence. I argued that several factors including the rise of the middle-class and media due to socio-economic changes, the emergence of a judge as a popular leader, and divisions within political elites contributed to the increase in judicial independence during these authoritarian and hybrid regimes in Pakistan. A key lesson offered by this research is that competition amongst, and between, disparate groups of elites and the middle class in their pursuit of different interests contributed to the increase in judicial independence.
Building on my PhD, this fellowship aims to influence social and political actors contributing to judicial independence by widely disseminating the findings of my research and engaging directly with researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, judges, and the general public on the subject of judicial independence. First, I will consolidate my scholarly contributions to the field of judicial independence via two articles and by securing a leading publisher for the publication of monograph (based on my PhD thesis).
Second, I will organise a closed workshop at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University towards the end of the project for members of key groups involved in judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes including researchers, practitioners, judges, civil society organisations, journalists, and policymakers. Academics and PhD students from different universities working in the area will be invited to attend the workshop. A number of key participants have already agreed to participate via Skype including representatives of civil society organisations and prominent journalists from Pakistan. A number of senior judges from Pakistan have expressed interest in attending subject to their schedules. A key individual from the Judicial Policy Making Committee of Pakistan(JPMCP) will also be invited to participate and to share the findings with senior judges responsible for judicial reforms. The goal of the workshop is to provide a forum to open up interdisciplinary discussions with key groups that go beyond the discussion of constitutions and instead invite critical discussions of the roles played by the social and political groups in increasing judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes.
Third, I aim to improve my research network and research skills through participation in annual conferences of the Socio-legal Studies Association and the International Society of Public Law.
Fourth, I will develop this research for a future funding proposal for a comparative project on judicial independence in countries with authoritarian and hybrid regimes including those in Colombia, Egypt and Indonesia. The project will also aim to investigate how international civil society organisations contribute to judicial independence in these regimes.
Finally, my goal is to engage with a wider audience by creating a website for the posting of blogs on judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes and for uploading relevant data, research findings and reports.
| Description | Judicial independence contributes to the rule of law and the protection of human rights and promotes liberal democracies. The work funded through this award discovered that a combination of social, political, and legal factors increase de jure judicial independence (guarantees available to the judiciary against other branches of the government in constitutions) and de facto judicial independence (the increase in judiciary's ability to protect itself against the court-packing and court-curbing actions of regimes in power, the increase in courts' decisions against the interest of regime in power and the implementation of those decisions) in authoritarian (regimes where powers are centralised by an individual or group) and hybrid regimes (regimes where leaders are elected but the military influences policy-making and politics from behind the scene) like those in Pakistan between 2005 and 2013, in Colombia between 1990 and 2013, and in Indonesia between 2002 and 2013. Before 2005 in Pakistan, 1990s in Colombia, and 2002 in Indonesia, the independent behaviour of the higher judiciary was limited in terms of its decisions against the interests of the government. However, after 2005 in Pakistan, 1990 in Colombia, and 2002 in Indonesia, the independent behaviour of the judiciary increased in terms of its decisions against the interest of the government. A combination of social (socio-economic changes), political (divisions within elites), and legal factors (judicial leadership) increased de jure and de facto judicial independence in these countries. Socio-economic changes involve the rise of the middle class and media and their support for the judiciary. Divisions within elites refer to divisions within politicians and judges of the higher judiciary. These factors created opportunities for the judiciary to cultivate the support of civil society organisations, individual professionals, opposition political elites, and independently behaving judges in the above countries. Judicial leadership refers to judge(s) who bring disparate groups together and lead the judiciary and/or other groups against the executive. Strong and active judicial leader(s) led the judiciary to avail of the opportunities created by socio-economic changes and divisions within elites in the above countries. This gave rise to the convergence of interests of different social, political, and legal groups towards the goal of the increase in judicial independence. As a result, an alliance of these groups emerged that contributed to distinct aspect of judicial independence through anti-regime demonstrations and anti-regime litigation. This convergence of interests of the above groups, the emergence of the alliance, and the alliance's contribution to the increase in judicial independence through anti-regime demonstrations and litigation was visible in Pakistan between 2005 and 2013, in Indonesia between 2002 and 2013, and in Colombia between 1990 and 2013. Therefore, the process of judicial independence is not a legal phenomenon as many practitioners, politicians, judges, and some scholars suggest. Instead, it is an interdisciplinary phenomenon which involves different groups and mechanisms. The work resulted in three book contracts two of which are with Springer publishing and one is with Palgrave. The first book with Springer publishing explains how and why the fight between people and elites in power express itself in judicial empowerment and its implications for judicial independence and democracy. The second book with Springer publishing is an edited collection of chapters focusing on the nature and scope of judicial independence in different jurisdictions of Africa. The third book with Palgrave Macmillan explains the nature and scope of judicial independence in Pakistan, Colombia, and Indonesia. I had to secure extension in the submission deadlines for these books because of the social, financial, and mental impact of catastrophic floods in my country of origin on my capacity to complete these manuscripts. However, I am looking forward to submitting the final manuscripts soon. The project also produced two papers for publication in suitable journals. One article explains how and why authoritarian and hybrid regimes like those in Pakistan from 2005 onwards comply with decisions against their interests whereas the other article explains judicial independence as multiple insurance policies. The publication is delayed because of the social, financial, and mental impact of catastrophic floods in my country of origin on my capacity to process these manuscripts for publication. However, I am looking forward to process the manuscript soon. The work also resulted in different panel discussions during annual conferences of Socio-Legal Studies Association, Law and Society Association, Political Studies Association, and Mid-West Political Science Association in 2022. Based on findings of this work, I ran a full stream titled "Constitutionalism in Developing Democracies" during the annual conference of Socio-Legal Studies Association in 2022. Papers received for presentations in this stream resulted in the contract for the edited book on judicial independence in Africa (discussed above). The project resulted in a the project website. The website published blogs on distinct aspects of judicial independence in different countries with authoritarian and hybrid regimes including but not limited to Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt. This engaged public at large and generated public interest. Further, I organised one-day international conference on judicial independence in developing democracies on 22 August 2022 during which I engaged with civil society organisations, scholars focusing on constitutional politics in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, journalists, and judges of Nigeria, Mauritius, and Pakistan. I disseminated my findings to them. This generated interest among scholars working in this area. I received very good feedback and response to collaborate in future. Currently, based on these responses, I am working on the establishment of an international network of journalists, scholars, judges, and lawyers who will work together on future funding applications including but not limited to British Academy Conference Funding Scheme. This will be launched very soon. |
| Exploitation Route | sss |
| Sectors | Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| Description | My findings have been used in the paper titled juristocracy before, during, and after COVID-19 accepted for publication by the Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Previously, I disseminated my findings to former and serving judges of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Mauritius during the international conference on judicial independence in developing democracies held on 22 August 2022. They showed interest in considering the findings of the project for further discussion on the process of judicial reforms at an appropriate forum. However, I could not follow up with the judges on processing of my findings for further consideration. It is mainly because of the social, mental, and financial impact of catastrophic floods in my country of origin on my capacity to do so. Building upon the findings of the project I am editing a book on judicial independence in Africa with Springer publishing. I am also contributing a chapter on the comparison of de facto judicial independence (judicial independence in behavioural sense) in Egypt, Pakistan, and Poland to this book. Based on the preliminary findings of this book I am organising a hybrid conference on judicial independence in Africa on 22 March 2023 at the University of Leicester. The contributors to the book will present their chapters. Justice Dr Rasul Oriyomi Olukolu, Lagos High Court Nigeria and Justice Sainabou Wadda Cisse, Court of Appeal, Gambia will be keynote speaker and guest speaker, respectively during the conference. The former agreed to consider the findings of the book for further process of judicial reforms (e.g. professional development of judges) in Nigeria. Justice Sainabou Wadda Cisse, Court of Appeal, Gambia has also agreed to consider the findings of the published version of this book for further discussion of judicial reforms (e.g. the process of judicial appointments and judicial ethics) in Gambia. Furthermore, the findings of the projects have been used to establish an interdisciplinary international network of scholars on constitutional law and politics, practitioners, judges, and journalists. The network is called the Global South Network (GSN). Its launch event will take place on 17 March 2023 at Council Room, Field Johnson Building, University of Leicester. The aim of the network is to promote comparative and interdisciplinary research on the issues of the Global South and inform (judicial) policymaking in the area. The objective is to share knowledge and good practices on different issues of the Global South including but not limited to human rights violation, limited access to justice, and legal education. This will help the state institutions and higher education institutes in the Global South take a global approach to issues such as limited access to justice, legal education, human rights, and administration of justice. Academics and researchers (including postgraduate researchers) from the Leicester Law School and the School of Politics whose research is focused on interdisciplinary (socio-legal, politico-legal, and/or socio-political) issues of the Global South run the network. GSN will contribute to decolonisation of knowledge by providing scholars focusing on the issues of the Global South with a dedicated forum where they can exchange knowledge and share good practices on interdisciplinary issues of the Global South (e.g. the politics of human rights and wrongs, the rule by law, 'good' and 'bad' governance, the resolution of disputes (civil dispute resolution including international commercial arbitration and mediation), etc.). In the long run, it will also contribute to internationalisation of University of Leicester by reaching an understanding with higher education institutes (HEIs) in the Global South and to diversity by increasing the recruitment of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, exchange students, visiting researchers from the Global South. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | REGISTRATION FEE WAIVER FOR THE LAW AND SOCIETY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE JULY 2022 |
| Amount | $275 (USD) |
| Organisation | Law and Society Association |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | EDITED BOOK ON JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN AFRICA |
| Organisation | Ulster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I convened a special stream on constitutionalism in developing democracies together with Dr Moohyung Cho, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Ewha Woman University, Seoul during the annual conference of Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) from 4-6 April 2022 at York Law School, University of York. Also, I organised special panels on judicial independence and constitutionalism in developing democracies for the annual conferences of Political Studies Association (11-13 April at the University of York), International Society of Public Law (4-6 July at the University of Wroclaw, Poland), and the Law and Society Association (13-16 July 2022 at ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon). Most of the presenters in these panels and the stream focused on distinct aspects of judicial independence in different African jurisdictions including but not limited to Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Cambodia. I secured their consent for the publication of their papers in an edited book and reached out to Springer publications. I and Prof Hakeem Yusuf, Visiting Professor, Ulster Law School secured the contract for an edited book from Springer publications in July 2022. The book focuses on judicial independence in different African jurisdictions. We have reviewed all chapters and currently, contributors are working on our feedback. I am writing a chapter for this book on the mechanisms of judicial independence in Pakistan, Poland, and Egypt. We plan to submit the final manuscript in February 2023. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Hakeem Yusuf presented his paper on judicial independence in Nigeria in a special panel on judicial independence in developing democracies which I had organised for the annual conference of International Society of Public Law on 4-6 July at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. I involved Prof Hakeem as a co-editor for our edited book on judicial independence in Africa. He worked closely with me on preparing the book proposal to secure the publishing contract for the edited book from Springer publications. He has reviewed papers received for our book and is also writing a chapter for this book on judicial independence in Nigeria. |
| Impact | I and Prof Hakeem Yusuf secured the publishing contract for an edited book titled "Judicial Independence in Africa: Lessons for the Global South" from Springer publications in July 2022. Postdoctoral researchers and faculty members from different law schools of the UK and Nigeria are contributing to this book. We reached an understanding that we will engage with the higher judiciaries and judicial policy-makers in different jurisdictions of Africa to process our book for further consideration during judicial policy-making. Doing so will inform policy-making on judicial reforms and access to justice in Africa. This will provide policy-makers with an opportunity to enhance judicial independence and the rule of law in Africa. I also collaborated with Prof Hakeem Yusuf for the organisation of the international virtual conference on judicial independence in developing democracies. The conference was held on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. Judges from different countries of the Global South including former President of the United Nations Dispute Resolution Tribunal Nkemdilim Amelia Izuako read their papers in this conference. Judge Izuako was appointed as a judge to the courts of Anambra State of Nigeria in 1998. She served as a judge on the High Court and the Court of Appeal of Gambia from 2004 to 2006. In 2006, she was appointed to the High Court of Solomon Islands. She is also contributing to our book on judicial independence in Africa. Her participation in the conference and the contribution to the book was a step forward to engage with the higher judiciaries in Nigeria and Gambia. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | EDITED BOOK ON JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN TRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIES |
| Organisation | Ewha Womans University, Seoul |
| Country | Korea, Republic of |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I organised special panels on judicial independence and constitutionalism in developing democracies for the annual conferences of Political Studies Association (PSA) (11-13 April at the University of York), International Society of Public Law (4-6 July at the University of Wroclaw, Poland), and the Law and Society Association (13-16 July 2022 at ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon). Also, previously, I convened a special stream on constitutionalism in developing democracies together with Dr Moohyung Cho, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Ewha Woman University, Seoul during the annual conference of Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) from 4-6 April 2022 at York Law School, University of York. I reviewed papers received under this stream and organised five panels on distinct themes of constitutionalism in developing democracies. Of these, I chaired two sessions. Later, I involved Prof Rhona Smith from the School of Law, Newcastle University, UK and Dr Moohyung to collaborate for the publication of an edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies. We worked closely to prepare the book proposal which I later submitted to Harts Bloomsbury publications in August 2022. The proposal was previously under review. Unfortunately, Hart Bloomsbury decided not to proceed with the publication process during the Christmas. They contacted 5 to 10 potential reviewers. Initially, two agreed to submit a review but Hart received one review and the other reviewer stopped responding. As per Hart policies two reviews were required to proceed with a book project. According to the editor, they contacted 8 potential reviewers for a second review. Some of them declined and others simply did not respond. Therefore, the editor decided not to proceed with the project. This was beyond the control of all concerned. However, I quickly contacted Routledge by first sending a brief description to their law editor. He/she showed interest in looking at the detailed proposal which I had sent to him/her during the Christmas break. Their editor accepted the proposal for the review process in February. It is now under review. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr Moohyung Cho presented a paper on judicial independence in the different jurisdictions of East Asia in the panel that I had organised for the PSA annual conference 2022. I convened a special stream during the annual conference of the Socio-Legal Studies Association. Prof Rhona Smith presented a paper in a panel organised under the SLSA stream that I had convened with Dr Moohyung. Later, I, Prof Rhona Smith, and Dr Moohyung Cho worked closely with each other on a proposal to secure a publishing contract for the publication of the papers presented in the above conferences. We have submitted the proposal to Hart Bloomsbury publications in August 2022. It wasunder review since then. Unfortunately, Hart Bloomsbury decided not to proceed with the publication process during the Christmas. They contacted 5 to 10 potential reviewers. Initially, two agreed to submit a review but Hart received one review and the other reviewer stopped responding. As per Hart policies two reviews were required to proceed with a book project. According to the editor, they contacted 8 potential reviewers for a second review. Some of them declined and others simply did not respond. Therefore, the editor decided not to proceed with the project. This was beyond the control of all concerned. However, I quickly contacted Routledge by first sending a brief description to their law editor. He/she showed interest in looking at the detailed proposal which I had sent to him/her during the Christmas break. Their editor accepted the proposal for the review process in February. It is now under review. If successful, this book will focus on distinct aspects of judicial independence in different countries of the Global South including but limited to South Korea, Chile, Turkey, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Prof Rhona Smith is contributing a chapter on judicial independence in Cambodia to this book. Dr Moohyung Cho, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, Ewha Woman University is writing a chapter on judicial independence in different jurisdictions of East Asia. Further, I, Prof Rhona Smith, and Dr Moohyung Cho collaborated for the international virtual conference on judicial independence in developing democracies that I had organised on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. In this conference, Prof Rhona presented a paper on human rights in Cambodia and Dr Moohyung read a paper on theoretical aspects of judicial independence. |
| Impact | This collaboration resulted in the proposal for an edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies, an international virtual conference on judicial independence in developing democracies held on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. It also resulted in an understanding on engagement with higher judiciaries, civil society organisations (CSOs), and policy-makers in different countries of the Global South to influence judicial reforms in these countries. Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and Chairperson and Journalists' Union of Turkey, Ayse Banu Tuna read their papers during the international conference that I had organised on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. They have agreed to contribute to the edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies. Their involvement in the conference and willingness to contribute to the book was a step forward to engage with judicial policy-makers and CSOs in different countries of the Global South. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | EDITED BOOK ON JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN TRANSITIONAL DEMOCRACIES |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I organised special panels on judicial independence and constitutionalism in developing democracies for the annual conferences of Political Studies Association (PSA) (11-13 April at the University of York), International Society of Public Law (4-6 July at the University of Wroclaw, Poland), and the Law and Society Association (13-16 July 2022 at ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon). Also, previously, I convened a special stream on constitutionalism in developing democracies together with Dr Moohyung Cho, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Ewha Woman University, Seoul during the annual conference of Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) from 4-6 April 2022 at York Law School, University of York. I reviewed papers received under this stream and organised five panels on distinct themes of constitutionalism in developing democracies. Of these, I chaired two sessions. Later, I involved Prof Rhona Smith from the School of Law, Newcastle University, UK and Dr Moohyung to collaborate for the publication of an edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies. We worked closely to prepare the book proposal which I later submitted to Harts Bloomsbury publications in August 2022. The proposal was previously under review. Unfortunately, Hart Bloomsbury decided not to proceed with the publication process during the Christmas. They contacted 5 to 10 potential reviewers. Initially, two agreed to submit a review but Hart received one review and the other reviewer stopped responding. As per Hart policies two reviews were required to proceed with a book project. According to the editor, they contacted 8 potential reviewers for a second review. Some of them declined and others simply did not respond. Therefore, the editor decided not to proceed with the project. This was beyond the control of all concerned. However, I quickly contacted Routledge by first sending a brief description to their law editor. He/she showed interest in looking at the detailed proposal which I had sent to him/her during the Christmas break. Their editor accepted the proposal for the review process in February. It is now under review. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr Moohyung Cho presented a paper on judicial independence in the different jurisdictions of East Asia in the panel that I had organised for the PSA annual conference 2022. I convened a special stream during the annual conference of the Socio-Legal Studies Association. Prof Rhona Smith presented a paper in a panel organised under the SLSA stream that I had convened with Dr Moohyung. Later, I, Prof Rhona Smith, and Dr Moohyung Cho worked closely with each other on a proposal to secure a publishing contract for the publication of the papers presented in the above conferences. We have submitted the proposal to Hart Bloomsbury publications in August 2022. It wasunder review since then. Unfortunately, Hart Bloomsbury decided not to proceed with the publication process during the Christmas. They contacted 5 to 10 potential reviewers. Initially, two agreed to submit a review but Hart received one review and the other reviewer stopped responding. As per Hart policies two reviews were required to proceed with a book project. According to the editor, they contacted 8 potential reviewers for a second review. Some of them declined and others simply did not respond. Therefore, the editor decided not to proceed with the project. This was beyond the control of all concerned. However, I quickly contacted Routledge by first sending a brief description to their law editor. He/she showed interest in looking at the detailed proposal which I had sent to him/her during the Christmas break. Their editor accepted the proposal for the review process in February. It is now under review. If successful, this book will focus on distinct aspects of judicial independence in different countries of the Global South including but limited to South Korea, Chile, Turkey, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Prof Rhona Smith is contributing a chapter on judicial independence in Cambodia to this book. Dr Moohyung Cho, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, Ewha Woman University is writing a chapter on judicial independence in different jurisdictions of East Asia. Further, I, Prof Rhona Smith, and Dr Moohyung Cho collaborated for the international virtual conference on judicial independence in developing democracies that I had organised on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. In this conference, Prof Rhona presented a paper on human rights in Cambodia and Dr Moohyung read a paper on theoretical aspects of judicial independence. |
| Impact | This collaboration resulted in the proposal for an edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies, an international virtual conference on judicial independence in developing democracies held on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. It also resulted in an understanding on engagement with higher judiciaries, civil society organisations (CSOs), and policy-makers in different countries of the Global South to influence judicial reforms in these countries. Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and Chairperson and Journalists' Union of Turkey, Ayse Banu Tuna read their papers during the international conference that I had organised on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. They have agreed to contribute to the edited book on judicial independence in transitional democracies. Their involvement in the conference and willingness to contribute to the book was a step forward to engage with judicial policy-makers and CSOs in different countries of the Global South. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | ENGAGEMENT FOCUSED WEBSITE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I created a website on judicial and constitutional politics in authoritarian and hybrid regime. This provides information about events, important links, recoding of events, and upcoming opportunities on the above theme. The website is visited by distinct groups of the public at large including but not limited to students, court reporters, civil society organisations, and lawyers. The website has mobilised the above groups and engaged them in different events that I have organised and that I am organising on different forums including but not limited to Political Studies Association, Law and Society Association, Mid-West Political Studies Association, and Socio-Legal Studies Assocation. This shows increased interest in the subject area of judicial and constitutional politics in authoritarian and hybrid regimes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://jcpahr.com/ |
| Description | International Virtual Conference on Judicial Independence in Developing Democracies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I organised a one-day international conference on judicial independence in developing democracies on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. The conference consisted of three sessions. The first session (judicial independence: judges' roundtable discussion) consisted of judges of higher judiciaries in Mauritius, Pakistan, and Nigeria. The second session (civil society, media, and judicial independence) consisted of court reporters and civil society organisers. This was focused on the role of civil society organisations and media in promoting or limiting judicial independence in developing democracies. The third session (judicial independence in developing democracies) consisted of academics focusing on distinct aspects of judicial independence in different jurisdictions of developing democracies. Around three hundred persons including but not limited to judges, lawyers, court reporters, journalists, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and academics from different countries attended this event. Most of the presenters have agreed to send me a paper for our edited collection on judicial independence in transitional democracies. The proposal for the publication of the edited collection is currently under review by Hart-Bloomsbury. We have reached an understanding that this collection will be shared with judiciaries in developing democracies so that judicial policy-making bodies can consider recommendations made in this book during policy-making on judicial reforms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2022/08/12/events-26/ |
| Description | YOU TUBE CHANNEL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I launched a YouTube channel on which I uploaded recordings of panels discussions that I had organised for the annual conferences of the Law and Society Association, Political Studies Association, and International Society of Public Law. This channel has recording of the international conference on judicial independence in developing democracies that I had organised on 22 August 2022 at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University. The recordings have been viewed by many and has generated a debate on different issues of judicial politics in developing democracies. The audience informed me about the change in their opinion. The increase in subscription and views of the channel show increasing interest in judicial independence in authoritarian and hybrid regimes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzdR1dU1r56dIQE5oULFMw |