PROMOTING UNDERSTANDING OF JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE TO CIVIL SOCIETY

As one of the sponsoring Commonwealth associations, the CMJA has recently been closely involved in the creation of the Edinburgh Plan of Action for the Promotion and Implementation of the Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the Accountability of and Relationship between the Three Branches of Government.

The central purpose of the CMJA is the promotion of judicial independence for judicial officers sitting at all levels. There has been a continuing concern that there is a perception, and in many cases a reality, of serious threats to that independence. The Edinburgh Plan provides for the sponsoring associations to establish a standing committee with a view, amongst other things, to promoting the Commonwealth Principles as they apply to judicial independence.

The CMJA is undertaking a project promoting the better understanding within civil society *of the operation of the courts and the role of judicial officers. In order to prepare this project we need to assess the current understanding both from the judicial and civil society perspective.

The CMJA has created two Survey Forms which need to be returned to the CMJA before 30 January 2009.

- Judicial Survey Form (for Judicial associations/judicial officers).

- Civil Society Survey Form (to be completed by civil society organisations approached). Click here for the form

*Civil society organisations (CSOs) include community groups, labour unions, teacher unions, professional associations, human rights organisations, faith-based organisations and parts of the media and academia.