Rule Of Law

Hungary and Poland have been dealt a blow in their legal challenge to EU rules cutting funding for member states that fail to protect the rule of law after an advocate-general sided with the European Parliament and Council. The two member states had brought actions before the Court of Justice of the

Poland is at loggerheads with the EU again as the rule of law dispute between Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the bloc deepens. At the European Parliament, Mr Morawiecki clashed with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, accusing the EU of blackmail. The incident follows the ruling o

Polish human rights chief Adam Bodnar has been ordered to leave his post by the country's top court. Mr Bodnar, widely regarded as a nuisance to Poland's authoritarian ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, was appointed as Commissioner for Human Rights with the support of opposition parties in 2015.

The UK could be following Hungary and Poland in "backsliding" on the rule of law, an academic expert on European legal issues has warned. Professor Laurent Pech, who has been studying rule of law issues since beginning his career as a junior lawyer in war-torn Bosnia two decades ago, said it is "dif

The European Commission has published its first EU-wide report on the rule of law, which includes input from every member state and covers both positive and negative developments across the EU. The report shows that many member states have high rule of law standards, but highlights important challen

The Home Office has been roundly condemned by lawyers across the UK for attacking the integrity of the legal profession and undermining the rule of law after releasing a video accusing "activist lawyers" of delaying deportations. The video, which was posted on the Home Office's Twitter page but late

A TD who singled out a High Court judge for criticism after a high-profile employment law ruling is facing an investigation from a Dáil committee. Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD for Dublin South-Central, sharply criticised Mr Justice Garrett Simons in the Dáil and in posts

Ireland's judiciary and legal professions have rallied in defence of a High Court judge who was singled out for criticism by a TD after striking down a law setting minimum pay and conditions for workers in certain sectors. Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD for Dublin South-Central, sharply

A joint statement issued by Ireland and 13 other European countries has raised concern about "the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights" in responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The short statement was agreed by the governments of Ireland, Belgium, De

A Thai judge is recovering after shooting himself in an apparent suicide bid at the end of court proceedings in which he sharply criticised alleged interference with the judicial process. Judge Khanakorn Pianchana, 49, a senior judge at Yala Provincial Court in the south of Thailand, pulled out a pi

The murder of Dutch lawyer Derk Wiersum has been condemned as "an unacceptable attack on the legal profession" by the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). Mr Wiersum, 44, was the lawyer for a key witness in the prosecution of alleged gangsters accused of committing five murders betwee

Abusive postcards sent to the president of the Supreme Court of Poland last year were allegedly masterminded by judicial colleagues who supported the country's controversial judicial reforms. Polish web portal Onet.pl has published screenshots alleged to be from a WhatsApp group in which judges disc

Professor R. Daniel Kelemen, professor of political science and law and Jean Monnet chair in European Union politics at Rutgers University, writes on the change of leadership in the UK and the EU. The incoming President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the new Prime Minister of th

The newly-elected European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has backed the introduction of a new EU-wide mechanism to guarantee the rule of law. Ms von der Leyen, who just stood down as German defence minister, was elected to the top post by MEPs with a slim majority of just nine votes ye

Lord Neuberger has warned that further cuts in the justice system will lead to a “breakdown of the rule of law”, The Times reports. The former president of the UK Supreme Court said the rule of law was “absolutely fundamental” but had been taken for granted in the UK followin