Independence of the Judiciary in Jordan: Texts, Policies and Challenges

This paper examines the independence of the judiciary in Jordan under the Constitution of 1952, as well as the constitutional amendments of 2011, the laws regulating the judiciary promulgated between the 1952 Constitution and 2001, and the reform initiatives that arose with the evolution of the judiciary. The Constitutional Amendments of 2011 are discussed, as are the further changes made in 2019 and the Independence of the Judiciary Act of 2014. The paper takes a legal approach to analyzing judicial independence, and examines the state's policies towards the judicial branch, the most significant changes in judicial independence as a public authority as well as the most important criticisms and recommendations. The study finds that the independence of the judiciary in Jordan is threatened by several factors, including the lack of a unified judiciary, the creation of courts under executive control, and the incompatibility of Jordan's judicial organization laws with constitutional guarantees of judicial independence.

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This paper examines the independence of the judiciary in Jordan under the Constitution of 1952, as well as the constitutional amendments of 2011, the laws regulating the judiciary promulgated between the 1952 Constitution and 2001, and the reform initiatives that arose with the evolution of the judiciary. The Constitutional Amendments of 2011 are discussed, as are the further changes made in 2019 and the Independence of the Judiciary Act of 2014. The paper takes a legal approach to analyzing judicial independence, and examines the state's policies towards the judicial branch, the most significant changes in judicial independence as a public authority as well as the most important criticisms and recommendations. The study finds that the independence of the judiciary in Jordan is threatened by several factors, including the lack of a unified judiciary, the creation of courts under executive control, and the incompatibility of Jordan's judicial organization laws with constitutional guarantees of judicial independence.

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