Global Judicial Integrity Network Updates Special Edition 'Views' Review | Page 22

VIEWS
Judicial Ethics Are a Prerequisite for the Highest Standards in the
Execution of Justice
Judge Mindaugas Šimonis is an Appeals Court Judge at the Kaunas Regional Court in Lithuania, as well
as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Vytautas Magnus University.
The activity of courts and
judges requires the highest
professional standards. In
the constant endeavour to
strike the right balance of
competing interests, it is
necessary for the modern
judge to be wise, sensitive
and knowledgeable not
only in legal matters but also in the spheres of
economy, social security, sociology, psychology,
etc.
I trust that the Network will be
a valuable instrument for judges
to collect scientific data for their
research, and will be a platform
for colleagues worldwide to
share judicial information and
developments with one another.
In addition to having the highest professional
standards, judges must continuously follow
scientific, social and economic developments. In
times of globalization, judicial decision-making
has become increasingly multifunctional
and interdisciplinary. The best example
of this complexity is the jurisprudence of
constitutional courts of different states,
that develop not only long-lasting norms of
constitutionality but sometimes even establish
core principles of social life. In ordinary courts,
big cases of professional liability and torts,
cases on scientific disagreements and scientific
dishonesty and the protection of inventions
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reaffirm the importance of continuous judicial
training and the need for a strong scientific
methodology for judicial inquiries.
Consistency in judicial decision-making, access
to well-developed databases and collections of
good practices, systematic external assistance
and the safeguarding of appropriate work
conditions for judges are prerequisites to
overcome new challenges and to be able to
effectively respond to the evolving needs and
expectations of society.
As a judge and as one of the administrators
of a court, I consider it necessary to examine
court administration and judicial ethics
in conjunction, in order to guarantee the
professionalism and independence of courts
and judges. Judicial ethics, as a system of
professional values, are based on the principle
of self-regulation, ‘by judges of judges’. An
effective court administration requires a
scientific approach to its elements, including
the methods of enforcement of judicial ethics.
I trust that the Global Judicial Integrity
Network will, amongst other things, be a
valuable instrument for judges to collect
scientific data for their research, and will be
a platform for colleagues worldwide to share
judicial information and developments with
one another. With this in mind, I would like to
share my article The role of judicial ethics in
court administration: from setting the objectives
to practical implementation.’ It is published
electronically in the Baltic Journal of Law
& Politics (A journal of Vytautas Magnus
University in Kaunas, Lithuania).