ABSTRACT
Balthasar Garzón is undoubtedly a phenomenon. In Spain he is popularly known as superjuez (Superjudge). Beyond Spain, especially since he sought the extradition of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from Britain, he is seen almost exclusively as a superhero in the defence of human rights. Love him or loathe him, he has rapidly become Spain's and probably the world's best-known living judge. The judicialization of power has developed a momentum of its own and poses important problems of legitimacy and democratic accountability. The Pinochet case, like the OJ Simpson trial, illustrates the increasing, transnational influence of the media and mediatization on the key actors in legal proceedings – judges, lawyers, parties, intervenors and NGOs, witnesses, politicians, etc. – and therefore on the construction, conduct and reception of litigation. Perhaps the charge of double standards is intrinsic to the exercise of universal criminal jurisdiction by domestic courts.
