http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/ead01ae3b9204c74 https://verfassungsblog.de/danilet-romania/ Judging Independence - The ECtHR’s Danileț Judgment and the Struggle for Judicial Independence in Romania Patricheev, Iurie eng 2025-12-18 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 European Court of Human Rights Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte | Straßburg Freedom of Expression Judicial Independance Romanian Constitutional Court Rule of Law Rumänien Unabhängigkeit des Richters romania Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte | Straßburg Rumänien Unabhängigkeit des Richters Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 On Monday, the European Court of Human Rights held in Danileț v. Romania that judges in principle cannot be disciplined for publicly defending the constitutional order. Coinciding with the early December 2025 reports exposing corruption and sustained pressure on the Romanian judiciary, the Grand Chamber’s judgment could not have arrived at a more timely moment. Danileț is an important moment for Romania’s judiciary and a reminder that courts must be able to speak – and be heard – when democracy and the rule of law are under threat.