Judicial Internal Independence Through the Lens of Legal Responsibility: Evidence from Ukrainian Administrative Courts

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical, legal, and practical aspects of the relationship between the judges’ legal responsibility and ensuring their internal independence. Based on institutional and comparative legal analysis, the authors investigated the mechanisms of disciplinary and criminal liability of judges of administrative courts. The article also considers the system of indicators for violation of the internal independence of judges, which is based on international standards and national practice. The authors analyzed the practice of using these indicators in the activities of the Public Integrity Council and the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine. Based on the analysis of the experience of EU member states, the authors demonstrate that effective mechanisms of responsibility of judges are an important guarantee of their absolute independence. The article demonstrates the need to further refine the evaluative criteria framework, and verification methodology to ensure an effective balance between judicial independence and accountability to society within the context of European integration.