The essays in this collection consider challenges to the maintenance of the rule of law in mature, modern legal systems. Leading judges and scholars from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom - including the Hon Justice Dyson Heydon and Professor John Finnis - reflect on the nature of the rule of law and the form of order that it prescribes. The essays consider the distinction between formal and substantive conceptions of the rule of law; the relationship between rights, democracy and the rule of law; and the ideal's implications for legal change in general and the difference between legislating and case law development in particular. Some contributors address the way in which judicial action may challenge the rule of law. Others explore the ideal's implications in particular contexts. The collection's editor, Dr Richard Ekins, is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Auckland.

In the modern era, political leaders and scholars have declared the rule of law to be essential to democracy, a necessity for economic growth, and a crucial tool in the fight for security at home and stability abroad. The United States has spent billions attempting to catalyze rule-of-law improvements within other countries. Yet despite the importance of the goal to core foreign policy needs, and the hard work of hundreds of practitioners on the ground, the track record of successful rule-of-law promotion has been paltry. In Advancing the Rule of Law Abroad, Rachel Kleinfeld describes the history and current state of reform efforts and the growing movement of second-generation reformers who view the rule of law not as a collection of institutions and laws that can be built by outsiders, but as a relationship between the state and society that must be shaped by those inside the country for lasting change. Based on research in countries from Indonesia to Albania, Kleinfeld makes a compelling case for new methods of reform that can have greater chances of success. This book offers a comprehensive overview of this growing area of policy action where diplomacy and aid meet the domestic policies of other states. Its insights into the practical methods and moral complexities of supporting reform within other countries will be useful to practitioners and students alike.

This forward-thinking volume examines the rule of law from a global perspective, in the context of a growing array of transnational challenges and threats As the United Nations (UN) notes, the rule of law constitutes the basis “on which fair and just societies are built.” The contributions to this volume provide insights to several emerging debates about what the rule of law means in the modern era of warfare and of massive and systematic human rights violations that call for robust and transparent accountability mechanisms and processes. The authors of this work examine several controversial topics, including: -The growing use of drones, and the morality of long distance use -The UN Security Council’s evolving counterterrorism policies and practices -Victims’ Rights and the effort to provide meaning and justice to victims and survivors of terrorism - The relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) -The effectiveness of the international criminal justice process overall, with an eye to procedural fairness and justice. This timely work will be of interest to researchers in criminal justice, particularly with a focus on counter-terrorism and international justice, as well as international law, human rights, and international studies.

This book is a snapshot of America's voting and electoral practices, problems, and most current issues. The book addresses a variety of fundamental areas concerning election law from a federal perspective such as the Help America Vote Act, lessons learned from the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, voter identification, and demographic and statistical experts in election litigation, and more. It is a useful guide for lawyers as well as law school professors, election officials, state and local government personnel, and election workers.

A striking new analysis of Myanmar's court system, revealing how the rule of law is 'lexically present but semantically absent'.

Rule of law is the foundation of modern democracies. It envisages, inter alia, participatory lawmaking, just and certain laws, a bouquet of human rights, certainty and equality in the application of law, accountability to law, an impartial and non-arbitrary government, and an accessible and fair dispute resolution mechanism. This work’s primary goal is to understand and explain the obvious dichotomy that exists between theory and practice in India’s rule of law structure. The book discusses the contours of the rule of law in India, the values and aspirations in its evolution, and its meaning as understood by the various institutions, identifying reason as the primary element in the rule of law mechanism. It later examines the institutional, political, and social challenges to the concepts of equality and certainty, through which it evaluates the status of the rule of law in India.