Week 3: Establishing a Rule of Law Framework
This week we had our first learning session with Tim. The learning sessions are one of my favorite parts of this internship because Tim gives the interns different readings on the rule of law to help us learn more about this area. Our first reading was USAID, Guide to Rule of Law Country Analysis: The Rule of Law Strategic Framework (2010). It gave a great overview on how to conduct a rule of law assessment and whether rule of law programs should occur within the justice sector, or perhaps a different institution. I read this piece a week or so after I started my internship, and it was really interesting to see how to assess rule of law projects from the start because I had been editing reports on rule of law projects that already occurred. It definitely tied everything together and gave me a new perspective on how NCSC and its donor agencies create these rule of law projects abroad. Part of the reading focused on developing a strategy for the justice sector, such as deciphering what type of program to start with to combat certain issues. For example, one institution, such as the executive sector, might not be willing to make changes to combat corruption when that institution itself is part of the problem. Reforming the justice sector, however, might bring about partial solutions to the problem because by improving the courts, it can provide certain checks on the other institutions.
Throughout this internship, a common theme Tim has repeated to us is to always start with a framework, whether it is regarding rule of law programs or other problems to solve. We are starting a large project that involves a comparative analysis of justice sectors across the world. Because there are so many different structures of justice sectors, Tim is having us focus on one particular area to start this project. Right now, our jobs are to research how the justice sectors in various countries are structured, such as with a judicial council, Supreme Court, or other. In doing this project, it has taught me how to take a large topic or issue and narrow it down to be workable. We only have 7 weeks left, so this project will only be just started by us before being passed on to the other interns that come in the fall. However, I hope to set the groundwork for the incoming interns, while also learning about justice sectors across the world. Although this internship deals with a niche area of the law, I am grateful for the amount I have learned already because the skills are applicable to any area of the law. The ability to take a complex legal issue and focus in on something manageable will be important in this profession, regardless of whether it is in the area of rule of law projects or elsewhere.
The last thing I wanted to talk about in this blog post is our visit to the Supreme Court. On Monday, we went to lunch with Tim and got to see the Library of Congress before heading off to the annual lecture at the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas was asked a lot of questions by the other guest speaker, David Rubenstein. I think my favorite part of the lecture was when Justice Thomas told us he had a license plate that said "Res Ipsa" on it because that is exactly the kind of nerdy legal thing I would do after having a semester of Torts. Overall, it was a great experience, and I am so grateful my boss gave us this opportunity. After the lecture, we went on a special tour of the Supreme Court. While I had been on a tour of the Supreme Court before, this one was a little more "exclusive". It was great to see the ins and outs of this incredible building, hear the history of how it was created, and even get a peek at the massive library. Next week, I am fortunate enough to go on another outing to a debate on migration hosted by the Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs, so keep an eye out for my next post!