THE NEWSROOM GUIDE TO JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE An Initiative of The Constitution Project Copyright © by the Constitution Project. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Constitution Project. For information about this report, or any other work of the Constitution Project, please visit our website at www.constitutionproject.org or e-mail us at
[email protected]. 2 THE “NEWSROOM GUIDE” TO JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE In the era of the 24-hour news cycle, reporters face unprecedented challenges. Particu- larly for journalists who cover government and political beats, obtaining the backstory behind the headlines often requires a luxury you don’t have: time. The Constitution Project is in the business of researching, analyzing, finding consensus, and educating the public on legal and government issues. We convene bipartisan blue- ribbon committees of experts, who live and breathe the issues of our ongoing initiatives. One of those initiatives, our Courts Initiative, is dedicated to promoting "judicial inde- pendence." We believe judicial independence can only be achieved when judges have the freedom to make decisions according to the law, without regard to political or public pressure, which allows them to protect the basic rights of individuals and decide cases fairly. To raise awareness of this issue, the Constitution Project produces publications on the subject, we post surveys and information about the issue on our Web site, and now we offer another resource. We’ve created this Newsroom Guide to provide reporters with our members’ experience and expertise.