Artykuł naukowy
Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States
Ochrona niezawisłości sędziowskiej na tle historycznego rozwoju klauzuli good behaviour jako podstawy odwołania sędziego w prawie angielskim i amerykańskim
Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, nr 1(46)/2026, s. 60-76
Polish
Translated abstract
W zachodniej tradycji politycznej sędziowie są strażnikami rządów prawa. Jednak i oni ulegają błędom, zaniedbaniom czy korupcji. Dobrze ułożony ustrój wymaga środków tak zabezpieczających niezależność sądownictwa, jak też środków kontroli, jak np. możliwości usunięcia z urzędu. Sędziowie wyższych sądów (w Wielkiej Brytanii) i sędziowie federalni (w USA) są zabezpieczeni w swej niezależności przez klauzulę „good behaviour”, która pozwala na ich złożenie z urzędu tylko przez specjalną akcję legislatywy. W Wielkiej Brytanii jest to wniosek obu Izb do Monarchy, w USA – impeachment . Artykuł zajmuje się historycznymi korzeniami klauzuli „good behaviour” i jej współczesnym rozumieniem. Podkreśla, że w drodze interpretacji i poprzez precedensy zakres uprawnienia legislatywy do usunięcia sędziego został znacznie ograniczony. Ograniczenie to jednak osiągnięto raczej dzięki kulturze politycznej analizowanych krajów, a nie dzięki samej treści klauzuli „good behaviour”, która zawsze dopuszcza niebezpieczeństwo politycznej interwencji w sądownictwo.
Translated keywords
- Sądownictwo
- pozbawienie urzędu
- sędziowie
- Wielka Brytania
- USA
English
Abstract
In Western political tradition, judges are guardians of the rule of law. But they also may be subject to mistakes or corruption. A well-balanced system of government needs both means to guard judicial independence and means to control the judiciary, such as removal from office. Judges of senior courts (in the UK) and federal judges (in the USA) are secured in their independence by the ‘good behaviour’ clause, which makes removing them possible only if a specific action is taken by the legislature. In the UK it is an address of both Houses to the Monarch, in the USA – an impeachment. This article deals with historical roots of the ‘good behaviour’ clause and its current understanding. It stresses that in the process of the interpretation and through certain precedents, the scope of the legislature’s power to remove a judge was highly restricted. Such a restriction, however, was obtained rather due to a political culture of the analysed countries rather than the contents of the ‘good behaviour’ clause, which always carries with it the danger of political interference with the judiciary. Key words: judiciary, removal from office, judges, UK, USA
References
25 reference entries
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Publication information
Issue data
Issue nr 1(46)/2026
- Pages
- 60-76
- Published
How to cite
Bibliographic description and verified export formats.
Format AFPiFS
M. Wilczyński, Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States, „Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej” nr 1(46)/2026, s. 60–76, DOI: 10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60
ACM
[1] Marcin Wilczyński. 2026. Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States. AFPiFS 1(46) (2026), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60
ACS
(1) Wilczyński, M. Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States. AFPiFS 2026, No. 1(46), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
APA
Wilczyński, M. (2026). Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States. Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, 1(46), 60–76. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60
ABNT
WILCZYŃSKI, Marcin. Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States. Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, n. 1(46), p. 60–76, 2026.
Chicago
Wilczyński, Marcin. “Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(46) (2026): 60–76. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
Harvard
Wilczyński, M. (2026) “Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States,” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, 1(46), pp. 60–76. Available at: https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
IEEE
[1] M. Wilczyński, “Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States,” AFPiFS, no. 1(46), pp. 60–76, 2026, doi: 10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
MLA
Wilczyński, Marcin. “Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(46), 2026, pp. 60–76, https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
Turabian
Wilczyński, Marcin. “Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(46) (2026): 60–76. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60.
Vancouver
1. Wilczyński M. Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States. AFPiFS. 2026;1(46):60–76. doi:10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60
OSCOLA
Marcin Wilczyński, ‘Protection of Judicial Independence Against the Background of Historical Development of the Good Behaviour Clause as the Grounds for Removal of a Judge from Office in the Law of England and Wales and of the United States’ (2026) 1(46) AFPiFS 60 <https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2026.1.60>.