Legal Framework

UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary

Requires states to guarantee and constitutionally enshrine judicial independence. Judges must be free to decide cases impartially without restriction, improper influence, or interference from any source.

Related incidents

2 incidents

Systematic Attacks on Judicial Independence and Defiance of Court Orders

A pattern of court order defiance, threats against judges, calls for impeachment, and DOJ Civil Rights Division gutting that constitutional scholars describe as the most serious executive-judicial …

  • The administration continued deportation flights after Judge Boasberg ordered them stopped, leading to a finding of probable cause for …
  • Trump called for the impeachment of Judge Boasberg, prompting a rare rebuke from Chief Justice Roberts.

Weaponization of the Department of Justice: Retaliatory Investigations and Prosecutions

Systematic weaponization of the DOJ through a retaliatory investigations unit, indictments of political opponents that were dismissed as brought by an unlawfully appointed prosecutor, mass departure …

  • Trump appointed Ed Martin — a former Missouri party chair who promoted election fraud claims and defended January 6 rioters — to lead a DOJ …
  • Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted September 25, 2025, and New York AG Letitia James was indicted October 9, 2025. Both …