The CEELI Institute’s Guidelines on Judicial Vetting provide an invaluable resource on the extraordinary remedy of judicial vetting that we hope will assist policymakers, judges, practitioners, journalists, and civil society actors alike for years to come both in the region and globally. This new resource is the product of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) Judicial Network, a trusted platform gathering over 370 judges across the region, which the CEELI Institute has been proud to moderate since 2012.

Written by judges and other legal experts in their respective countries, the Guidelines not only provide a clear discussion of when judicial vetting is appropriate, but also concrete recommendations on how to implement the vetting process when needed. The Guidelines back up their recommendations with carefully researched analysis of relevant international law and a detailed comparative look at how countries in the region have sought to meet this challenge while respecting judicial independence and fundamental rights. In an era when judicial integrity has been called into question through allegations of corruption, these Guidelines strike a thoughtful balance on how to restore the public’s trust.