“And that aspiration to be able to look at other experiences of other parts of the world is part of the traditional journeys and interpretations our Constitution has undergone. Understanding the response of judiciaries to challenges to rule of law, and to democracy thereof, in a comparative perspective which would streamline responses by facilitating mutual learning and effective rationalisation is indeed critical.

“The Colloquium has wonderfully met this objective, thanks to the outstanding participation and extraordinary inputs by these learned judges and jurists. Jindal Global Law School and O.P. Jindal Global University is extremely honoured to be part of such an intellectually enlightening discussion”.

Justice Michael Wilson, Former Judge, Supreme Court of Hawaii raised the issue of preventing climate change and the difference that the rule of law can bring, “The pandemic pales in comparison to the greatest threat to humanity that we’re facing, which is climate change. We have to prevent that from happening because the rule of law is likely to disintegrate along with the heating of the planet when we get to 1.5 degrees!”

Justice Sabrina S. McKenna, Judge, Supreme Court of Hawaii said, “We have a right to a life sustaining planet. The fact that judges need to reflect the makeup of the communities they serve, as a principle of the rule of law, means that the diversity in the judiciary is not an aspirational goal. It is a requirement of the rule of law. People tend to trust courts more if the people that are making the decisions look like them and come from their own backgrounds.”

Justice Ann L. Aiken, Senior Judge, US District Court, District of Oregon spoke about the responsibility of lawyers and said, “This rule of law is to educate law students as the next generation of leaders to understand that you have an obligation to be stewards for the generation that comes after you. It is important not to just work at the individual level but to improve a community.

Justice Andre Birotte Jr., Judge, US District Court, Central District of California reflected on the rehabilitation of individuals once out of the criminal justice system, “Many of us take for granted the fact that we are able to have a bank account but then you find that that there are people who are exposed to trauma at young ages, those things are not necessarily the case. And through a programme, we take individuals who have been charged with crime and try to address some of the issues that brought them here in the first instance. If you work hard, stay focused, you can change the trajectory of your life.”