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Articles on Judges

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Political commentators have expressed concern that Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to appoint former staffers to a committee that helps select provincial judges could politicize the courts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Doug Ford’s political judicial appointments: Good or bad for justice and democracy?

Appointing individuals who may have links to the party in power is not necessarily troublesome, as long as the process emphasizes legal knowledge and fairness, and not partisan considerations.
A police officer pulls over and tickets a delivery person in the New York City borough of Queens on March 22, 2023. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Traffic tickets can be profitable, and fairness isn’t the bottom line in city courts where judges impose the fines

Research shows police officers issue more traffic tickets and judges impose more fines when their city gets the money and when the budget is tight.
Janet Protasiewicz is sworn in as a state Supreme Court justice at the Wisconsin Capitol on Aug. 1, 2023. Sara Stathas for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Wisconsin GOP’s impeachment threat against state Supreme Court justice is unsupported by law and would undermine judicial independence

Impeaching a recently elected Wisconsin Supreme Court justice for conduct neither criminal nor corrupt would negate the people’s votes – and strike a blow at judicial independence.
Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the 2023 NBA All Star AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on Feb. 18, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett / Stringer via Getty Images

Mac McClung may have ‘saved’ the slam dunk contest, but scoring methods could still be improved, a dunkologist explains

NBA player Mac McClung may have just ‘saved’ the annual dunk contest, but scoring methods could still be improved, a dunking expert says.
Prince Misuzulu, second from the left, attends the provincial memorial service for his mother, the late Mantfombi Dlamini, at the Khangelakamankegane Royal Palace in Nongoma, in May 2021. AFP via Getty Images

What the Zulu kingship judgment tells us about the future of South African customary law

When judges, legislators, and policymakers neglect the foundational dynamics of indigenous customs, they worsen conflict between indigenous laws and state laws.
Is it possible to have a jury whose members are unbiased? Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Do unbiased jurors exist in an age of social media?

A video of Ahmaud Arbery was widely seen and shared by the citizens who could be called on to judge the accused killers. The issue was recently argued before the Supreme Court.
Lifetime tenure has pushed the average age of judicial nominees down as presidents appoint younger justices in hopes they will serve for many decades. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Should the Supreme Court have term limits?

Unlike in most countries, US Supreme Court justices enjoy life tenure. Some legal scholars believe that centuries-old custom, meant to protect judicial independence, no longer serves the public.

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