Focus Commentary Reports

Departments Themes

JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN THE U.S.
Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, in a speech delivered to senior judges of the Americas, reflects on how the American system of justice has safeguarded the judge's unique role in a democracy.

COMMENTARY

PROTECTING JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE: A GLOBAL EFFORT
Maintaining the judge's authority and freedom is an on-going concern in the United States and abroad. Judge Cynthia Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, in Pasadena, California, is interviewed by contributing editor David Pitts.

REPORTS

HIS HONOR AND THE KIDS
Judge Luis G. Perez of the Worcester, Massachusetts, Juvenile Court, faces a special challenge: what to do about troubled youths in his Northeastern U.S. city. A feature article by journalist Kristin Helmore.

THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY AND SENTENCING POLICY
Judge Richard P. Conaboy, Chairman of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, reviews the federal sentencing guidelines and some of the new options a judge possesses for alternative forms of confinement.

CASE MANAGEMENT IN AMERICAN COURTS
What can be done to relieve the massive backlog of cases awaiting disposition by American courts? James G. Apple, Chief of the Interjudicial Office at the U.S. Federal Judicial Center, surveys the attempts by judges and court administrators to bring order to the process.

JUDICIAL TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
Three leading American institutions for in- service training of judges.

DEPARTMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Recent books and periodical articles on the judiciary.

ARTICLE ALERT
Abstracts of articles on issues of democracy.

INTERNET SITES
Sites on the World Wide Web that feature democracy and human rights issues. See also the sites in cyberspace that explore law-related topics. The opinions expressed on other Internet sites listed here do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. government.

ISSUES OF DEMOCRACY THEMES

Issues of Democracy

Electronic Journals of the U.S. Information Agency
Volume 1, Number 18, December 1996

USIA's electronic journals, published and transmitted worldwide at two-week intervals, examine major issues facing the United States and the international community. The journals -- Economic Perspectives, Global Issues, Issues of Democracy, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, and U.S. Society & Values -- provide analyses, commentary, and background information in their thematic areas. French and Spanish language versions appear one week after the English. The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government. Articles may be reproduced and translated outside the United States unless there are copyright restrictions cited somewhere on the articles.

Current or back issues of the journals can be found at the Journals site on the U.S. Information Service (USIS) Home Page on the World Wide Web. They are available in several electronic formats to facilitate viewing on-line, transferring, downloading, and printing. Comments are welcome at your local USIS post or at the editorial offices:

Editor, Issues of Democracy
Democracy and Human Rights - I/TDHR
U.S. Information Agency
301 4th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20547
United States of America

[email protected].

Publisher............................Judith S. Siegel
Editor.....................................Mark Smith
Managing Editors.......................Edward A. Kemp
Associate Editors..........................Wayne Hall
............................................Guy Olson
Internet and Text Editors..........Deborah M.S. Brown
.........................................Carol Norton
Contributing Editors......................David Pitts
Art Director.........................Diane Woolverton
Reference Specialists....................Carol Norton
......................................Barbara Sanders
Graphics Assistant.......................Sylvia Scott
Editorial Assistants................Gretchen Graewert
.......................................David Rabinowe


Editorial Board

Howard Cincotta.......Judith S. Siegel.......Rosemary Crockett