Electing Team Strasbourg: Professional Diversity on the European Court of Human Rights and Why it Matters



Dzehtsiarou, K ORCID: 0000-0001-9253-6109 and Alex, Schwartz
(2020) Electing Team Strasbourg: Professional Diversity on the European Court of Human Rights and Why it Matters. German Law Journal, 21 (4). pp. 621-643.

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Abstract

Reforms to the process for electing judges to the European Court of Human Rights have generally focused on identifying the most qualified individual candidates. This Article argues for a more holistic approach, advancing a theory of why professional diversity on the European Court of Human Rights is an asset in collegial decision making. The results of original interviews with several Strasbourg judges are presented, followed by an empirical analysis of the professional backgrounds of all judges elected to the European Court of Human Rights since 1998. Although the interviews indicate that the judges themselves see the value of professional diversity, the quantitative evidence suggests a trend in the direction of a more professionally homogenous bench. The Article concludes with some suggestions for how the promotion of professional diversity might be appropriately pursued in future reforms to the process for electing Strasbourg judges.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: European Court of Human Rights, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe, judicial selection, professional diversity
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 14 Aug 2019 15:42
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:31
DOI: 10.1017/glj.2020.36
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3051718