Central European Judicial Reforms and Rule of Law 2025-2026

Situation

Multiple Central European countries implementing controversial judicial reforms, including splitting attorney general roles and restructuring supreme judiciaries, with disputes over democratic accountability and judicial independence.

Key Evidence

• Reported event: Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of 13 claims in Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. 1 source
• Reported event: Alexander Butyagin was arrested by Poland in December 2024 on Ukraine's extradition request. 4 sources
• The defendants' continued omission and withholding of essential information constitutes a pattern of repeated bad faith, according to Judge Royce C. Lamberth. 1 source
• The appeal trial of Nicolas Sarkozy and 9 other defendants will continue until 3 June 2026, with a verdict expected in the following autumn. 1 source
• Reported event: A jury trial for Oleg Olshanskiy and Sergey Ivin is scheduled for 1 June 2026 in the U.S. Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida. 1 source

What Could Change

Developments that could shift our assessment — sources are currently split on these possibilities.

• The department of justice is expected to appeal judge watson's preliminary injunction to the 9th circuit court of appeals.
• The defendant is expected to appeal the conviction to the israeli supreme court
• The cas case on the africa cup of nations title decision could result in suspension of the decision's implementation pending final determination.