JUDICIAL ETHICS, INTEGRITY AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: STRENGTHENING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND EFFECTIVE JUSTICE DELIVERY IN A DIGITALIZED WORLD

Abstract

Judicial power ultimately depends upon public confidence that courts exercise their constitutional authority independently, impartially, with integrity. Judicial ethics is not merely a matter of personal morality or disciplinary compliance; it is an institutional condition for the legitimacy of adjudication, the rule of law, and effective justice delivery. This paper examined the relationship between judicial ethics, integrity, and institutional accountability within Nigeria’s constitutional and judicial frameworks. Drawing upon comparative experience and emerging 2024–2026 international guidance, the paper argued for a preventive and educational model of judicial integrity alongside effective disciplinary accountability. It proposes an integrated Judicial Ethics, Integrity and Accountability Framework for Nigeria built around ethical competence, institutional safeguards, continuing judicial education, transparent accountability, digital integrity and public confidence. It concludes that sustainable judicial integrity cannot be secured by disciplinary sanctions alone: it requires an institutional culture in which independence is protected, ethical competence is continuously developed, accountability is fair and credible, and technology remains subordinate to human judicial responsibility.

PTM Angya: Judicial Ethics, Integrity and Institutional Accountability: Strengthening Public Confidence and Effective Justice Delivery in a Digitalized World