My friend, federal Judge Harold Baer Jr., in a new book recounts seven vignettes illustrating what happens to the rule of law when political forces undermine the independence of the judiciary; Judges Under Fire: Human Rights, Independent Judges, and the Rule of Law (ABA Publishing 2011). His point is that without independent judges citizens lack protection from arbitrary governmental decisions. Independent judges alone can counter the forces of official arrogance and tyranny.

Judge Baer need … <Read More>