Brief Overview About the Judicial Institute of Jordan and its Activities:

The Judicial Institute of Jordan was established in accordance with Law no. (3) for the year 1988, and started receiving students, who are holders of the Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees in Law, in 1989.

The purpose of the Institute’s establishment was to supply the judicial authority with skilled judges capable of undertaking judicial posts, to raise the level of working judges and the legal aides working in official public departments and institutions, and to improve the performance of those who have desk and clerical jobs.

In the period since its establishment, the Institute took some major steps forward which placed the Institute as a scientific landmark linked with other Arab and foreign judicial centers like it in important and well-informed agreements that contributed to building bridges of judicial cooperation with some brotherly Arab countries and friendly countries.

The Institute was able to qualify four hundred and fifteen male graduates and eleven female graduates, most of whom work in the judicial field, while the rest handle judicial-related issues in the departments that sent them to the Institute.

The Judicial Institute’s mission was not limited to the good preparation of judges assuming judicial positions, but continued to provide the latest intellectual developments in legal and judicial subjects, in order to keep up with the developments of the age, the requirements of progress, and the needs for new and modern knowledge in a world that is developing fast.

In order to achieve that, the Institute hosted public lectures, seminars, courses, scientific meetings, and chose for them the most senior of judges and specialists who work in areas touched on by the contents of the course or the seminar. A large number of judges and district attorneys were invited to attend and to take part in the discussion that takes place at the conclusion of each lecture, and then receive the working papers submitted in each of them..

Some of the Seminars and Courses that were Held and Re-Held at the Judicial Institute:

1.        The “Arrest Controls and Release on Bail and their Standards” seminar.

2.        The “The Juveniles Law: Reality and Expectations” seminar.

3.        The “Executing Penal Verdicts According to the Modern Penal Policy” seminar.

4.        “The Humane International Law” seminar.

5.        “A Witness’ Legal Position in a Public Right Lawsuit” course.

6.        The “Forensic Medicine and the Allied Criminal Sciences” course.

7.        “The Process of Depositing Money and Bonds in Banks” course.

8.        “The Process of Loaning and Bank Facilitations” course.

9.        “The Current Account” course.

10.    The “Computer Science” course.

Judges from Arab countries and judges visiting from foreign countries participated in most of these courses.

In July 1997, the Institute began issuing a judicial magazine specialized in publishing judicial verdicts, legislations and legal researches. In it, the principles and decisions of the Court of Cassation and the Higher Court of Justice are published, in addition to publishing legal researches after being reviewed by specialized arbitrators. The magazine is distributed on a monthly basis to judges and district attorneys as a service to the judiciary and to the law.

Effective 16/9/2001, the Institute Law no. (3) for the year 1998 was replaced with the Regulation no. (68) for the year 2001, which advanced the Institute by having the Institute be managed by a judge, focusing on practical aspects and other issues.

The Institute is Supervised by a Board of Directors Led by the Minister and the Membership of Each of the Following:

1.        The Head of the Higher Court of Justice as Vice Chairman.

2.        The Head of the District Attorneys.

3.        The Ministry’s Secretary General.

4.        Two judges, not lower than the  “special” category, appointed by the Minister in consultations with the Director of the Judicial Institute for two years renewable. The Minister may, during this period, replace either of them with another judge of the same category to complete the duration of the membership.

5.        The President of the Lawyers Association.

6.        Two persons, who had assumed the positions of Law Professor or Associate Professor of Law, appointed by the Minister for two years renewable. The Minister may, during this period, replace either of them with another for the remaining membership duration in the Board.

7.        The Institute’s Director.

8.        The Institute’s Director is now an assigned judge from the Judicial Institute, when under the previous law, he/she was appointed by the administration, and most of the lecturers are now judges.

Following are Some of the Institute’s Upcoming Activities During the School Year 2002-2003:

1.        Effective 1/10/2002, the preparation of a new course will commence for one hundred clerks sent by the Judicial Institute for a period of one year.

2.        Effective 13/10/2002, the teaching of fifty students of lawyers and notary publics will commence in the Judicial Sciences Diploma program for a period of two years according to the new education plan.

3.        A seminar about “Family Protection: Reality and Expectations” will be prepared in cooperation with the National Law School of France during the period 13-15/10/2002.

4.        Several seminars related to family protection will be set up during the month of January of this year for judges and district attorneys, through the implementation of the training plan for the Judiciary Work Commission that was formed by the Judicial Council led by the Institute’s Director.

The Institute’s administrative apparatus is comprised of thirty-eight employees from the Ministry of Justice, who were assigned by the Minister of Justice. The Judicial Institute has no other branches in the Kingdom.