The Jordanian Constitutional Court: The Legal Function

Following the early 2011 protests in Jordan, the Jordanian Constitutional Court was created as one of many reforms to the Jordanian regime. The Court was created to help legitimize the government through the guarantee of legislative constitutionality as well as the protection of Jordanians’ rights. Despite the Court’s intentions, many have questioned the Court’s legitimacy and effectiveness due to the regime surrounding it as well as the specifics of the Court itself. This study seeks to analyze the realities of the Court’s functions in the Jordanian political sphere and to determine the Court’s independence and effectiveness based on a variety of factors. To determine the answers to these questions, this study includes an analysis of literature about comparative judicial review and material culture surrounding the Court combined with the results of interviews with a variety of individuals knowledgeable about or involved with the Constitutional Court. With the Court’s young age, such a study is essential in determining the Court’s current and future contributions to liberalism in Jordan, and whether democratic institutions can have any substantial effect in less-than-democratic regimes.