International Judicial Conference, 1993-2007

History

The International Judicial Conference [IJC] is sponsored each year by the Furth Family Foundation. It is a unique annual gathering that has brought together justices from constitutional, supreme, and supreme arbitration courts from around the world for discussions on key issues related to establishing an independent judiciary and strengthening the rule of law. The first IJC was held in 1993 in Strasbourg, when 40 justices from the high courts of Europe and the former Soviet Union came together, providing a forum to discuss efforts to strengthen the independence of their respective court systems. At the request of the participating justices, it developed into an annual conference that has been held in Strasbourg, Washington, Warsaw, Moscow, San Francisco, Budapest, Bucharest, Kyiv, Prague and Ann Arbor.

At its origin the conference focused on Europe and the NIS. It has since expanded to include a number of judicial leaders from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. This expanding global scope has provided justices from around the world with a unique opportunity to compare experiences, examine methods of handling court proceedings, focus on challenges of judicial independence and establish a collegium of peers to increase the professional expertise of leading jurists in both old and newer democracies. Each year, the conference addresses different issues related to the general theme of judicial independence, although specific agenda items have changed to reflect the increasing experience and understanding of newer participants from regions outside of Western Europe. In its earliest years, the conference handled issues such as judicial training and the implementation and enforcement of court decisions. By the 4th and 5th conferences, topics included the interpretation of commercial and criminal laws and building public confidence and support for the rule of law. During the last few years conference topics have also included the interrelationships between national courts and international institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights.

Five general areas of issues considered over the history of the conference are:

• Independent Judiciaries: Development/Protection/Maintenance
• Supreme and Constitutional Courts: Practical Issues and Operations
• Legal Procedures and Obligations in the National/International Nexus
• The Courts and the Public: the Media and Education
• Political and Philosophical Concerns