The Shifting Landscape of Iraq’s Judiciary: Increased Judicial Activism, Centralisation and Politicisation after 2017
dc.contributor.author
Iraq Watch Group
dc.contributor.sponsor
UK International Development
en
dc.date.accessioned
2025-03-10T10:06:50Z
dc.date.available
2025-03-10T10:06:50Z
dc.date.issued
2025-02-17
dc.description.abstract
This paper examines the evolution of Iraq’s judicial system after 2003, focusing on the increasing centralisation of judicial power and the rise of judicial activism. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, the judiciary has become progressively insulated from criticism, with power concentrated within the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). This consolidation has allowed the judiciary to expand its role beyond impartial justice administration, engaging more actively in political processes and increasing its susceptibility to political influence. The findings of this paper suggest that post-2003 judicial reforms, while ostensibly aimed at fostering judicial independence, have instead led to the creation of a judiciary that is often seen as playing a political role and serving the interests of the leading Shi’a political elite. This has worked to compromise its intended neutrality and poses a risk to the rule of law in Iraq.
en
dc.identifier.citation
Iraq Watch Group (2025). The Shifting Landscape of Iraq's Judiciary: Increased Judicial Activism, Centralisation and Politicisation after 2017 (PeaceRep Research Paper). Middle East Centre, London School of Economics
en
dc.identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1842/43186
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/5727
dc.language.iso
en
en
dc.publisher
LSE Middle East Centre
en
dc.relation.ispartofseries
LSE Middle East Centre Paper Series
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dc.subject
Iraq
en
dc.title
The Shifting Landscape of Iraq’s Judiciary: Increased Judicial Activism, Centralisation and Politicisation after 2017
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dc.type
Other
en
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