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
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.
Kenya’s supreme court judges annul the results of the 2017 presidential election.
Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images
Thalia Gerzso, London School of Economics and Political Science
Two conditions enable courts to take the risk of nullifying the elections of ruling party candidates.
Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela, who presided over the murder trial of goalkeeper Senzo Mayiwa was suspended in July.
Phill Magakoe/Gallo Images via Getty Images
The challenges facing South African judges have been well documented for decades. They include the high number of unfilled vacancies and poor working conditions.
Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta waves at a crowd.
Harry Benson/Getty Images
Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi set the tone for ethnic and authoritarian politics which Kenya has wrestled to free itself from in recent decades.
The role of Chief Justice in Ghana comes with significant authority
Wikimedia Commons
Ghana’s judiciary has a public relations problem that requires an urgent fix.
The High Court in Accra, Ghana’s capital. Strengthening the judiciary would ensure a better democratic outcome.
MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The actions of the chief justice undermine the independence, impartiality and competence of the judiciary, which erodes public confidence in the courts.
The courts have become an integral part of Ghana’s electoral prcess.
Wikimedia Commons
Secure and appropriate compensation for judges is a constitutionally recognized component of judicial independence. Here’s why politics must not be allowed to interfere with it.
Professor of Francophone Studies (Africa, Caribbean), Faculty Affiliate with Africana Studies, World Literature Program and Human Rights Pracice, University of Arizona