INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY AS A PATH AND A GOAL – THE VOICE OF THE PROFESSION

The views and experiences of the judges are important for the performance of their duties, as well as for the improvement of their social and professional position. Therefore, the topic of this paper is the suggestions for improving the independence of the judiciary, which come from the representatives of the judicial profession. The paper is based on the results of extensive empirical research of the judges from all courts of general jurisdiction in Serbia. For the interpretation of the respondents’ answers (N=599), thematic analysis was used, allowing us to further categorize the received statements by the perspectives of the respondents. The conclusion is that judges see the greatest space for improvement in the area of institutional guarantees of independence, while they are significantly less oriented towards guarantees of personal independence. Apart from the theoretical contribution, the paper primarily has a practical goal in advocating social change, i.e. a normative framework based on the guidelines that come from those to whom the regulations refer.