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Considering Reconsidering Judicial Independence, Charles G. Geyh
Considering Reconsidering Judicial Independence, Charles G. Geyh
Articles by Maurer Faculty
In Reconsidering Judicial Independence, Professor Stephen Burbank revisits the nature of the relationship between judicial independence and judicial accountability—a relationship that he has elucidated over the course of an illustrious career. As Burbank emphasizes, the continuing success of this dichotomy depends on preserving a balance between its halves. But forces generations in the making have led to a new assault on the independence of the judiciary in the age of Trump, which has put the future of the independence–accountability balance in doubt. The age-old rule-of-law paradigm, which posits that independent judges put aside their personal biases and follow the law, …
Judicial Ethics: A New Paradigm For A New Era, Charles G. Geyh
Judicial Ethics: A New Paradigm For A New Era, Charles G. Geyh
Articles by Maurer Faculty
As the preamble to the Model Code of Judicial Conduct indicates, traditional notions of judicial ethics operate within a rule of law paradigm, which posits that the "three I's" of judicial ethics-independence, impartiality, and integrity-enable judges to uphold the law. In recent decades, however, social science, public opinion, and political commentary suggest that appointed judges abuse their independence by disregarding the law and issuing rulings in accord with their biases and other extralegal impulses, while elected judges disregard the law and issue rulings popular with voters, all of which calls the future of the three I's and judicial ethics itself …