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Indicators for a state of the judiciary report: a standardized tool for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of key judicial reforms

Judicial Integrity Principles

Authors: K. Henderson; V. Autheman; S. Elena
Publisher: International Foundation for Election Systems , 2003

Full text of document

This document presents the International Foundation for Election Systems Judicial Integrity Principles (JIS) - a standardized tool for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of key judicial reforms.

They are organized around a set of 18 high priority consensus principles and emerging best practices found in virtually all global and regional governmental and non-governmental instruments related to judicial integrity.

These principles are:

  • Guarantee of judicial independence, the right to a fair trial, equality under the law and access to justice
  • Institutional and personal/decisional independence of judges
  • Clear and effective jurisdiction of ordinary courts and judicial review powers
  • Adequate judicial resources and salaries
  • Adequate training and continuing legal education
  • Security of tenure
  • Fair and effective enforcement of judgments
  • Judicial freedom of expression and association
  • Adequate qualification and objective and transparent selection and appointment process
  • Objective and transparent processes of the judicial career (promotion and transfer processes)
  • Objective, transparent, fair and effective disciplinary process
  • Limited judicial immunity from civil and criminal suit
  • Conflict of interest rules
  • Income and asset disclosure
  • High standards of judicial conduct and rules of judicial ethics
  • Objective and transparent court administration and judicial processes
  • Judicial access to legal and judicial information
  • Public access to legal and judicial information

The JIPs are aimed at fostering an enabling environment and legal culture necessary for the rule of law to take root, with specific emphasis on a definition of judicial integrity that encompasses a broad range of justice issues, including:
  • judicial independence
  • judicial accountability
  • judicial transparency
  • judicial ethics
  • judicial corruption
  • fair and effective enforcement of judgments
The JIP also represents the framework for preparing an Annual State of the Judiciary Report.