The Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute, together with the Max Planck Foundation, organised its first-ever public lecture in Sri Lanka.
The Max Planck Foundation, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute, organised this public lecture – the first initiative of its kind for the Foundation in Sri Lanka. The lecture was delivered by Lady Brenda Hale, the Rt Hon. the Baroness Hale of Richmond, former President of the UK Supreme Court. The event was organised with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
The event saw welcoming remarks by Sarah Hasselbarth, Deputy Ambassador of the German Embassy to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. This was followed by opening remarks by His Lordship Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, who then introduced the speaker.
Lady Brenda Hale spoke on how laws and judges long preceded formal democracies, and that just laws and just judges existed long before constitutions. She then spoke of how the independence of the judiciary came to be recognised as an essential aspect of a modern democracy, and reflected on how security of tenure, financial security, and adequately resourced courts were essential to the effectiveness of this guarantee of independence. This was followed by a discussion on the processes for appointing judges, including personal reflections on the different procedures by which Lady Hale was eventually appointed President of the Supreme Court. Lady Hale closed with remarks on the importance of diversity in the judiciary and the democratic legitimacy that can flow from a judiciary that reflects the broad demographic composition of the society in which it functions.
The lecture was followed by a fruitful exchange in Q&A, which dealt with issues such as the accessibility of courts, the distinction between a judge’s life experience and personal bias or prejudice, and the importance of the judicial discipline of writing out judgments.
Closing remarks were delivered by Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena, Judge of the Supreme Court, and director of the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute.
The audience included a diverse range of participants, including judges from all levels of the judiciary, retired judges, the Attorney General, the Minister of Justice, legal academics, members of the bar, law clerks and law students, members of civil society organisations, and members of the public.
This event was organised under the German Federal Foreign Office-funded project ‘Consolidating the Rule of Law in Sri Lanka: Strengthening the Resilience of Democratic Institutions to Promote Stability in the Face of Crises.’