Konference "Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability" (31.5.-1.6.2014, NSS)

Ve dnech 31. května a 1. června 2014 se v Brně na Nejvyšším správním soudě uskuteční konference s názvem „Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability" (program viz níže), která je organizována Masarykovou univerzitou z projektu ”JANE - Judicial Accountability in New Europe” ve spolupráci s Nejvyšším správním soudem.

Konference je otevřena všem. Je však nezbytné se registrovat, a to nejpozději do 1. května 2014 na emailové adrese: brno.judicial.independence(zavinac)gmail.com

Při registraci uveďte prosím Vaše jméno, místo profesního působení a dny, ve kterých se hodláte konference zúčastnit (v případě velkého počtu zájemců budou preferováni ti, kteří se přihlásí na oba dny). Konference bude probíhat v angličtině a nebude tlumočena.  

Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability

Organized by: Masaryk University Law School (Brno, Czech Republic)

Venue: Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic (Brno)

[May 31 – June 1, 2014]

Judicial independence appears on most laundry lists of principles of the rule of law. It is guaranteed by all major international human rights treaties and by most national constitutions. In contrast, we can hardly find any laundry list of the rule-of-law principles that contains judicial accountability. Yet, the call for public accountability has recently affected the judiciary as well. To make things even more complicated, supranational European bodies have been strongly advocating for greater judicial autonomy and the High Councils of the Judiciary. Virtually all countries thus think hard how to rebalance judicial independence with judicial accountability. We have very little understanding of the logics and dynamics of these institutional reforms and practice. This conference will explore the political vectors behind High Councils of the Judiciary, the measures adopted in order to enhance judicial accountability, and the impact of these novelties on judicial independence. 

All sessions will take place in the Plenary Room of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic, unless noted otherwise.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Participants arrive.  Meet informally for drinks.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

8:30-9:00 a.m.                     Registration

9:00-9:15 a.m.                    Welcome and Introduction

9:15-10:20 a.m.                   Session I 

• Keynote Speech: Tom Ginsburg, (University of Chicago School of Law)
• Discussion: moderated by Zdeněk Kühn (Supreme Administrative Court)

10:20 a.m.                           Coffee Break in the Foyer

10:45-12:15 p.m.                 Session II

• Paper: Robert Hazell (UCL), “Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in the United Kingdom”
• Paper: Thierry Renoux (Université Paul Cézanne, Aix-Marseille Université), “Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in France”
• Discussion: moderated by Michal Bobek (College of Europe)

12:15-1:30 p.m.                  Lunch

1:40-3:10 p.m.                    Session III

• Paper: Cristina Parau (Oxford University), “Explaining the Drive towards Judicial Supremacy in Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe: Transnational Legal Professional Elite Networks and Parliament Dormancy”
• Paper: David Kosař (Masaryk University), “The Court-President-Centered Theory of Judicial Councils”
• Discussion: moderated by Tom Ginsburg (University of Chicago School of Law)

3:10 p.m.                            Coffee Break in the Foyer

3:30-5:00 p.m.                    Session IV

• Paper: Fabian Wittreck (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität), “Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in Germany”
• Paper: Daniela Piana (University of Bologna), ”Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in Italy”
• Discussion: moderated by Robert Hazell (UCL)

7:00 p.m.                            Conference Dinner (by invitation)

Sunday, June 1, 2014

8:45-10:15 a.m.                   Session V

• Paper: Andreas Føllesdal (University of Oslo), “Politics of Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability at the ECtHR”
• Paper: Christoph Krenn, (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law), “Accountability and Independence in the CJEU developed from the perspective of the CJEU’s procedural law”
• Discussion: moderated by Jan Komárek (LSE)

10:15 a.m.                           Coffee Break in the Foyer

10:30-12:00 p.m.                Session VI:

• Paper: Zdeněk Kühn, (Supreme Administrative Court), “Judicial Reforms in the Central and Eastern Europe”
• Paper: Michal Bobek, (College of Europe), “Independent Judiciary without Independent Judges: Lessons to be Avoided”
• Discussion: moderated by David Kosař (MUNI)