Internet Resources on the Independence of the Judiciary

With judicial independence very much in the news, here are some varied resources on the internet on the topic. This information was compiled for the 1999 Youth for Justice Leadership Conference held earlier this month in Oak Brook, Illinois.

[DISCLAIMER: This listing has been compiled as a reference only and does not constitute in any way an endorsement by Youth for Justice or the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the United States Department of Justice.]

American Bar Association Special Committee on Judicial Independence
The American Bar Association has a number of groups, listed here, working on what it describes as "'the most essential characteristic of a free society,' judicial independence." The site includes a number of very informative publications, a bibliography, and an e-mail discussion group, as well as web links to other sources.  http://www.abanet.org/judind/home.html
 

Citizens for Independent Courts
Citizens for Independent Courts identifies itself as "citizens who have been asked by the Twentieth Century Fund/Century Foundation to join together to help ensure that our state and federal courts remain independent institutions that dispense justice fairly." Lots of news, web links, and basic information.  http://www.faircourts.org

Center for Judicial Independence of the American Judicature Society
The American Judicature Society describes itself as "a nonpartisan organizations with a national membership of judges, lawyers and non-legally trained citizens interested in the administration of justice." The AJS's Center for Judicial Independence "promotes a judiciary that is free to issue fair and just rulings without bowing to popular and political pressures." The Center features a number of position papers on different topics relating to judicial independence, and the main AJS has many interesting web links. http://www.ajs.org/indepen1.html

Coalition for Judicial Restraint of the Free Congress Foundation
in its own words, the Free Congress Foundation is "politically conservative, but it is more than that: it is also culturally
conservative." In 1992, the Foundation created the Judicial Selection Monitoring Project and in 1996 the Coalition for Judicial Restraint, which has presented a letter, signed now by over 500 organizations, protesting judicial activism to the U.S. Senate. Although the site is identified as "under construction," it still offers extensive information, including the Foundation's definition and examples of judicial activism, Senate voting records, statistics on federal judge nominees, and publications, as well
as information about the Coalition.  http://www.freecongress.org/jsmp

Center for Judicial Accountability
The Center for Judicial Accountability defines itself as "a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens' action organization, documenting how judges break the law and get away with it!" No links, but an organizational history and mission statement, plus a variety of published articles and letters.  http://www.judgewatch.org

From: YFJ Net News - May 1999: Some Internet Resources on the Independence of the Judiciary, Nisan Chavkin, Constitutional Rights Foundation - Chicago IL.