| | It’s election time — so judges must watch out. Even more than usual, they cannot be political. “I certainly don’t want to be seen as attacking the Government or any party,” Judge Charles Harris, QC, insists. That said, he is in a position to voice judicial concerns across a broad apolitical front. Harris, 65, is this year’s president of the 600-strong Council of Circuit Judges, those who handle the bulk of serious cases. Judges are not a constituency politicians need to play to. Yet law and order policies will affect their work. So what are they thinking? The budgetary deficit could hit courts hard. Worse, it could undermine judicial independence as a third arm of the constitution, Harris fears. “The separation of powers ... requires equality of independence. That includes, of course, financial independence. Parliament has this, the executive has this but the judiciary and courts have only what is given by the executive. Click for more details |
