Law According To A King

I have just finished my favourite horror film of all time: Psycho . It's an old film, black and white, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, but it remains my favourite horror, and my go-to sick bed movie. For those of you who don't know, the film features Marion Crane who, after stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her place of work, flees the city of Phoenix, Arizona, to see her boyfriend in California. During a heavy rainstorm, however, Marion pulls into the Bates Motel to seek refuge for the night, where she meets the charming, if a little awkward, Norman Bates who invites her to have dinner. Marion accepts his invitation, but then overhears a fierce argument between Norman and his mother about bringing a woman into their home. Norman brings the sandwiches down to the motel, and they eat in a small sitting room, while Norman tells Marion about his mother, a mentally ill woman who refuses to allow Norman his independence. Moved by his story of family love, Marion decides t...

In the United Kingdom, our judiciary is completely unelected, sparking accusations of cronyism, a lack of democratic legitimacy, and corruption, but when compared to countries and regions where the courts are elected, the UK's system stands out as a remarkably well-oiled machine. In the US, however, judges are more commonly elected at the state and local level (the federal judiciary remains wholly appointed), and the US is, unsurprisingly, seen across the world as a dysfunctional political system - leading to the characterisation of US-style democracy as "America's deadliest export" by the American journalist and author William Blum. But what impact does the election of judges have on the integrity of the judiciary, and does it actually hurt democracy as much as we might think? Politicisation of the judiciary The main argument in favour of an appointed bench is that it holds back the growing tide of politicisation. Now, of course, this doesn't mean that appointed ...