Judicial Diplomacy in African REC Courts: Navigating the Strategic Space in the East African Court of Justice

Dr. Diana Kisakye

doi:10.5771/9783748955535

Summary

This book offers an intricate account of the legal, socio-economic, and political considerations that young international courts go through while trying to establish institutional authority. Drawing on a wealth of original ethnographic and archival data, it advances our understanding of international adjudication beyond prevailing state-centric explanations. Through the lens of judicial diplomacy, it offers a window into understanding the contemporary transformations of international judicial relations. It foregrounds judicial on-bench and off-bench activities as equally important attributes of the judicial process. This Title is also Available as Open Access.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2025
ISBN-Print: 978-3-7560-2016-4
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-5553-5
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Politik und Gesellschaft in Afrika | Politics and Societies in Africa
Volume: 16
Language: English
Pages: 318
Product type: Book Titles

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1. Acknowledgements
2. Abbreviations and Acronyms
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1. 1.1 Research Questions
2. 1.2 Project Rationale
3. 1.3 Project Aims
4. 1.4 Dissertation Outline
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1. 2.1 Realist Explanations
2. 2.2 Rational Choice Institutionalism
3. 1. 2.3.1 Trustee Theories
  2. 2.3.2 Constrained Independence Theory
  3. 2.3.3 The Altered Politics Framework
4. 2.4 Constructivist Accounts
5. 1. 2.5.1 Extraversion Explanations
  2. 2.5.2 Critical Studies of African ICs
  3. 2.5.3 Neither Agents nor Trustees
6. 1. 2.6.1 Defining Judicial Diplomacy
  2. 2.6.2 Theoretical Take of Thesis
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1. 3.1 Case Selection
2. 1. 3.2.1 Case Mapping
  2. 1. 3.2.2.1 Selecting Research Participants
    2. 3.2.2.2 Interview Methods Appendix
    3. 3.2.2.3 Interview Summary
  3. 3.2.3 Participant Observation
3. 3.3 Navigating Access Limitations
4. 3.4 Analytic Approach
5. 3.5 Reflections on Positionality
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1. 1. 4.1.1 EACJ Mandate
  2. 4.1.2 Composition and Leadership
2. 1. 4.2.1 Meagre Budget Allocation
  2. 4.2.2 Ad hoc Service and Double Agency
  3. 4.2.3 Opaque Judicial Appointments
  4. 4.2.4 Not an Appellate Court!
3. 4.3 Resistance in a Strategic Space
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1. 5.1 Judicial Biographies
2. 1. 5.2.1 Mobilising Judicial Allies
  2. 5.2.2 Legal Norm Socialisation
3. 5.3 From “Legal Cocoon” to Initial Backlash
4. 1. 5.4.1 Formally Recording Pressures
  2. 5.4.2 Reactive Scholarly Engagement
  3. 5.4.3 Expansive Interpretation of Legal Principles
5. 5.5 East Africa Law Society to the Rescue
6. 5.6 The Makings of a “Bold” Bench
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1. 1. 6.1.1 Drawing Inspiration from Other ICs
  2. 6.1.2 Mapping the Human Rights Trajectory
2. 1. 6.2.1 Evidence and Fact-finding Assistance
  2. 6.2.2 Initiating Strategic Litigation
3. 1. 6.3.1 Streamlining EAC Institutions
  2. 1. 6.3.2.1 Jurisdictional Limitations
    2. 6.3.2.2 Avoidance through the Statute of Limitations
    3. 6.3.2.3 Vague Explanations
  3. 1. 6.3.3.1 Opening of Sub-registries
    2. 6.3.3.2 Engaging Academic Audiences
4. 6.4 From Human Rights to Commercial Bench
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1. 7.1 Cooperative Solutions over Litigation
2. 7.2 Limited Jurisdiction
3. 1. 7.3.1 Beyond Declaratory Orders
  2. 7.3.2 The BAT case: Pushback against a Trendsetter
  3. 7.3.3 The Emergence of Silent Compliance
4. 1. 7.4.1 Intervention in Megapolitical Disputes
  2. 7.4.2 Challenging Judicial Appointments
5. 1. 7.5.1 Between Avoidance and Activism
  2. 7.5.2 Whither Consensual Decision-making?
6. 1. 7.6.1 Lobbying for Funding
  2. 7.6.2 Localisation of Hearings
  3. 7.6.3 Forging Judicial Alliances
  4. 7.6.4 Allies in the Media and Academy
  5. 7.6.5 Digital Socialisation
7. 7.7 Towards a “Commercial” Bench
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1. 8.1 The Significance of Appointments
2. 1. 8.2.1 Judicial Diplomacy On-bench
  2. 8.2.2 Judicial Diplomacy Off-bench
  3. 8.2.3 On the Role of Allies
3. 8.3 Unexpected Interventions
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1. 9.1 Main Findings
2. 9.2 Lessons and Implications for Research and Policy
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1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 4
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
BibliographyPages 295 - 318 Download chapter (PDF)