The Polish government’s assault on judicial independence is part of a worldwide trend
Imagine a day in the not-too-distant future. A new U.S. president has just been elected. Hugely popular, he enjoys a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. His first legislative measure: something called the “Federal Courts Independence Act,” which stipulates the mandatory retirement of 40 percent of U.S. federal appeals-court judges (unless the president decides to let some of them stay on). The president will also have a role in determining the courts’ internal organization and rules of procedure, as well as in the disciplining of judges. The act sails through Congress on a wave of popular support. Voters have been persuaded that it is an obvious and patriotic answer to the problem of courts packed by previous presidents getting in the way of the new president’s long-overdue reforms in the name of the people.… Seguir leyendo »