The October 2023 DGRU submission reflects on the progress made by the JSC and suggests areas for improvement, intended to enhance the legitimacy of the judicial appointment process.
The process for a judge transferring between divisions is akin to seeking a new appointment. We review how this has impacted on female judges.
Section 174 (2) of the Constitution of South Africa, which may be referred to as the “transformation clause” stipulates that the need for the judiciary to “reflect broadly the racial and gender composition of South Africa must be considered” when judges are appointed. The contentious nature of the provision was captured in a question that […]
Every year in April and October Judges Matter runs strategic social media campaigns in order to bring the Judicial Service Commission Interviews to you. These multi-level campaigns include Facebook posts, live tweeting, YouTube videos and most importantly a live stream of the JSC interviews themselves. The JSC interviews are open to the public and our […]
Two lawyers’ associations have complained to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) that they did not have enough time to nominate for the head of the judiciary in the Eastern Cape. An advert for a number of positions, including one of Constitutional Court judge, was circulated by the JSC on the 11 January 2017, with a […]
Tabeth Masengu is a researcher at the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) and PhD Research fellow at the UCT Department of Public Law and GHENT. She shares her thoughts on the recent Zimbabwean Judicial Service Commission interviews for the Supreme Court: On 29 September, I sat in a large venue at the Rainbow Towers […]
When the JSC appoints judges, most of the proceedings are open to the public, and can be watched online on the Judges Matter website. However, when the members of the JSC discuss whether they are actually going to appoint a judge, the proceedings are closed. All members of the public leave the room, taking their […]
Here is an overview of the seating plan for the JSC Commissioners as at the JSC October 2022 interviews: **Diagram updated 26 September 2022** The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is the constitutional body set up to appoint judges to the bench, to discipline them for misconduct, but also to advise the Government on any matter […]
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