According to the latest Global Corruption Barometer, the judiciary in Slovakia is the least trusted institution in the world, and 70% of Slovakians consider it to be corrupt. This is partly because the Slovak judiciary system has no external influence and enjoys a very high level of independence not only from other branches of power, but also from the general public. Last July, the OpenCourts portal (available only in Slovak and the first open data project dealing with the judiciary branch) was launched by Transparency International Slovakia. Its main goal is to make the Slovakian system more transparent and allow the public to control courts and judges in order to hold them accountable.
Law Via the Internet
This week saw Cornell's Law Via the Internet, a gathering dedicated to free access to government information, with a special emphasis on legal and regulatory data. It was highly energizing to see all the terrific projects represented there, and to meet the people behind them.
If you're not aware, Cornell's Legal Information Institute is the preeminent place to read the law of the land (the US Code) on the Internet. They have been doing this for 20 years, since 1992—when the Internet was a much newer place, and when publishing the laws online was an act of radical democracy. We think of "having laws online somewhere" as self-evident and obvious now, but it wasn't always so. Because of their foresight, law.cornell.edu is known by just about every law student and legal professional in the country, often moreso than the official resources.
State Secrets Protection Act — Balancing Judicial Review and National Security
By Policy Intern Madeline Magnuson. How courts balance their roles as the arbiter of disputes against the need to protect... View Article
Continue readingPut Judicial Financial Disclosures Online
The Judicial Conference’s ability to redact judicial financial disclosure reports will be extended indefinitely if Congress adopts H.R. 1059, which... View Article
Continue readingMoney in State Judicial Elections
What’s the price of justice? Over the last decade, state supreme court candidates raised over $200 million for their elections,... View Article
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