March 2023 Update
Image: Protests outside the Knesset against the judicial reform (Roman Yanushevsky/Shutterstock.com)
Dear Friends,
The Rule of Law matters deeply to many people. This month, escalating protests in Israel have halted progress of the government's controversial plans for judicial reform, which include proposals to grant the government a decisive say over judicial appointments and weaken the Supreme Court's power of judicial review.
Closer to home, a recent UCL Constitution Unit report shows that most respondents to a major UK public survey want tighter checks and balances on those in power, and support a strong role for the courts in adjudicating on the limits of government powers.
If judicial independence were to come under threat in the UK, it is worrying to think how recent law-making has curtailed people's right to engage in protests of the kind seen in Israel. Recent restrictions on the right to protest were one factor that led to the UK being downgraded this month from 'narrowed' to 'obstructed' in a global index of civic freedoms published annually by CIVICUS.
In the March edition of the Bingham Centre's Monthly Update, we bring you news of our work which engages with Rule of Law issues in a wide range of settings: including the Council of Europe, UK Parliament and London secondary schools.
In today's Update:
- Illegal Migration Bill: an explainer on modern slavery issues
- APPG news: Retained EU Law Bill and Hansard Society review of delegated legislation
- Northern Ireland Protocol: legal certainty succeeds at Windsor, and a Supreme Court challenge fails
- Execution of Strasbourg judgments: a roundtable
- London heritage sites bring to life Rule of Law principles: a new collaboration
- Digital information and data sovereignty
- Modern Slavery PEC news, including a funding call on addressing prevention
- Training courses offered by BIICL
You can read the whole Update here.
