RULE OF LAW PROGRAM

The Rule of Law program is at the core of a broader goal for promoting democracy around the globe. As former communist and totalitarian governments struggle to build the foundations of democracy, we assist these newly emerging democracies through a number of programs. Support for the Rule of Law program is based on issues identified by U.S. embassies overseas to aid in the development of democracy. Rule of Law programs focus on six major areas: assisting in constitution writing and constitutionalism; advancing the development of an independent judiciary and just legal systems; strengthening understanding of American criminal and civil process as a model for legal reform abroad; expanding knowledge of administrative law; fostering legal education, and; providing citizens greater access to their judicial systems. The State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; the Agency for International Development (USAID); the Department of Justice; and the federal judiciary through the Committee on International Judicial Relations -- which falls under the Judicial Conference of the United States -- all work closely with a number of private legal and judicial associations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), U.S. law schools, and other legal organizations. RULE OF LAW ACTIVITIES/PROGRAMS Book Programs In cooperation with the American Bar Association, we currently provide financial support to assist in the translation of Black's Law Dictionary into Latvian. The Book Translation program continues to support the translation of noteworthy American books on rule of law into a number of languages throughout the world. International Visitor Program Since 1993, the International Visitor Program has conducted a number of multi-regional and single-country rule of law and administration of justice projects, involving more than 1,000 participants. The month-long programs include exposure to the American legal system from various professional perspectives in large and small communities in the United States. These programs include such topics as judiciary and constitutional rights, the role of Congress, the administration of the courts, the independent judiciary, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the press and the judicial process. U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program American experts, awarded two- to six-week grants, serve overseas as consultants and workshop leaders for universities and other academic or research institutes, government ministries and media organizations. Academic specialists in rule of law are sent to all regions of the world, with special attention to Eastern Europe, Central and South America and Africa. J. William Fulbright Programs The Fulbright Programs are an educational exchange of students, scholars and professionals, and teachers, that seek to promote mutual understanding between citizens of the United States and other countries. Of the 4,500 grants awarded annually, about 10 percent are in areas associated with law programs or legal administration, in addition to political science, American studies, sociology, business and public administration. The Fulbright Programs in the NIS and other newly emerging democracies, give particular emphasis to law and law-related projects. The Study of the U.S. Program The Study of the U.S. Program brings key individuals from academia, government and other relevant professions abroad to the United States for short-term academic concentration on U.S. society and institutions. A number of these programs have focused on rule of law themes, including the Summer Institute on American Federalism at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania; the Summer Institute on Law and U.S. History at Boston College; the Foundations of Democracy Institute Program at Russell Sage College in Albany, New York; and the National Endowment for the Humanities Seminars on political and Ccstitutional theory for Citizens at UCLA; contitutional democracy at Princeton, and morality and society at Boston University. Fellowship Programs The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished professionals from developing countries to the United States for a year of graduate level study and work-related study experience. The Edmund Muskie Fellowship Program offers recent graduates and mid-career professionals from the Baltics and the NIS the opportunity to study at the Masters degree level for one or two years. The Ron Brown Fellowship Program offers students from Central and Eastern Europe the opportunity to study at the Master's degree level. Like the Muskie Fellowship, the Freedom Support Act Graduate Fellowships Program offers recent graduates and mid-career professionals from the Baltics and the NIS the opportunity to study at the Masters degree level for one or two years. Office of Citizen Exchanges This office awards grants to non-profit U.S. organizations to carry out projects designed to encourage long-term institutional relationships, including the rule of law program. Rule of law programs have included the exchange of judges to improve court management; projects linking U.S. law schools with law schools abroad; and training programs for judges, attorneys, legal specialists and law enforcement officials. Return