Egyptian court tells police to butt out on campus

As noted here previously, Egypt's judges have sometimes stood courageously against the raw power of the state. In another example, the Cairo Administrative Court ruled on November 25, 2008 that the Egyptian police must leave the campus of Cairo University, where they often arrest students carried oppositional literature, interfere with student demonstrations and maintain an intimidating presence.

Egypt's Judges Club speaks out on professional syndicates

While the Egyptian government has succeeded in co-opting and corrupting some judges, the courts remain an important source of resistance to the regime's arbitrary law-making and disdain for the Constitution. The Judges Club, in particular, continued to maintain its independence. This is illustrated in its study of the government's persistent efforts to stultify and intimidate civil associations.

Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
"According to the study, if one looks at the provisions of Law No. 100 and its amendments under the title of ensuring syndicates’ democracy, they would find out that it only aims at assassinating democracy and undermining the competences of the syndicates’ general assemblies, he said.

"It affirmed that the law does not only violate Article 173 of the Constitution by not taking the opinion of the Supreme Council of Judicial Authorities, but it also violates the principle of the separation of powers and relies on judges to carry out administrative work. In addition, it uses judges to confiscate the right of syndicates’ members to choose their leaders."