UN rapporteur backs judiciary reforms

THE United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers expressed support for the integrity initiatives of the Supreme Court.

United Nations Special Rapporteur Professor Margaret Satterthwaite conveyed her support during her recent meeting with several Supreme Court associate justices who visited the New York University School of Law.

The meeting between Associate Justices Amy Lazaro-Javier, Antonio Kho Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando, Ricardo Rosario, and Maria Filomena Singh with Satterthwaite was a continuation of an exchange that the UN Special Rapporteur initiated with the Supreme Court last February.

The discussions centered on reform programs embodied in the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 (SPJI).

In particular, Satterthwaite backed the ongoing revision of the Code of Judicial Conduct chaired by Justice Singh, the recently launched Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability chaired by Justice Javier, the reorganization of the Judicial Integrity Board chaired by Justice Kho, and the establishment of the Judiciary Marshals Office.

NYU School of Law Dean Troy McKenzie said that in one of the special courses he teaches, he discusses the jurisdiction of the anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan, in regard to cross-border cases.

McKenzie also discussed with the justices a possible collaboration between NYU Law and the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja).

Created in 1996, Philja is a separate but component unit of the Supreme Court and has become an integral factor in promoting judicial education in the Philippines.

The Supreme Court envisions Philja as the leading provider of globally relevant, responsive and effective training for the judiciary in the Asean region by 2030.