Judicial reforms in transition: Legacy of the past and judicial institutionalization in post-communist countries.

The breakdown of authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe and the incremental democratisation of such regimes is surely one of the most crucial events in the last two decades. In these contexts, the functioning of justice systems has become, more and more, one of the key aspects of the transition process. In this context, the article analyses the process of judicial reform in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The article aims to explore how theoretical approaches developed by comparative judicial studies scholars fare against the evidence from the democratising process of the judiciary in such countries. Then, particular attention will be focused upon the level of institutionalization of the judicial systems, trying to explain why judicial systems in these countries continue to be poorly institutionalized