IVLP Regional Project for Africa (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania) with IIE and CBM Global Ties Sacramento. Judge Alexander C. Lipsey met with the group on September 14 to explore the court system in Michigan.  Jon Hoadley met with the group on September 15 to discuss the legislative process. 

This virtual project examined U.S. commitment to the promotion of transparency, ethics, and judicial independence in a democracy.  Meetings and site visits highlighted the judiciary’s role in preserving democratic practices such as due process, trial by jury, the right to representation and a fair trial, the role of the public defender, the appeals process, judicial appointments/ elections, and governmental accountability.  Participants learned about federal and state judicial systems under the U.S. model of federalism.