08.20.2007

In early July 2007, three members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of Yemen spent one week in the United States meeting with judges, court officials, and other experts to enhance their understanding of U.S. systems for court administration.   The SJC is the chief administrative body in Yemen that manages every aspect of the judiciary and members are appointed by the President.  The ABA Rule of Law Initiative, as implementer of a joint USG-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) program, organized the judges’ visit to Washington, D.C., Boston, and Concord, New Hampshire.

In New England, the judges met with several individuals at the municipal, state, and federal level to discuss issues pertaining to judicial nomination, discipline, and evaluation. As the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is now currently interviewing judges to fill a vacancy on the State Supreme Court, the Yemeni delegation received an in-depth overview of the selection of judges from the application process to the new judge’s orientation to the court.   Each meeting illustrated that while not all of the actors in the process always agree on the outcome, checks and balances are in place to ensure an impartial and fair process that the public can trust.  

These concepts were reinforced in D.C. meetings where the members of the SJC met with federal officials from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Administrative Office of the Courts.   Many of these meetings focused on freedom of information regulations, accountability, and transparency.  The SJC members affirmed the usefulness of the information they received as the council proceeds with new draft laws pertaining to the judiciary and the press that will address corruption and judicial selection in Yemen.