Last month, Dean William Hubbard, co-founder and chair of the World Justice Project (WJP) board of directors, wrote an op-ed for the TaxProf Blog titled "Building the Next Generation of Rule of Law Leaders." In it, he reported findings from the annual Rule of Law Index and reminded legal educators how critical it is that students understand and are dedicated to defending the rule of law.

“Too often today, ‘rule of law’ rhetoric is deployed opportunistically to justify policy preferences or political agendas,” Hubbard said. “We need to give our students a sophisticated understanding of rule of law principles, to enable them to distinguish rule of law fact from fiction, and to defend the idea against misuse.”

Background

The WJP is an independent organization working to create knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide. The Rule of Law Index scores and ranks 140 countries, gathering information from citizens’ regarding their experience with and perceptions of the rule of law.

The breakdown

Countries are ranked by eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

Based on their findings, the WJP launched a three-year initiative to strengthen the rule of law in the United States.

By the numbers

The US currently ranks

• 26th overall
• 106th in discrimination
• 115th in lack of affordability and accessibility of the civil justice system

Read Dean Hubbard’s op-ed and the complete WJP Rule of Law Index.