A four-member delegation of leaders from Mongolia is on a special mission in Fort Worth -- to learn about judicial checks and balances through a cooperative program with the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.
The goal is to improve the Asian nation"s 20-year democracy.
"Once corruption spreads to the judiciary, the whole system would be corrupt. It is our goal to have the most uncorrupt justice," said Biraa Chimid, who is described as the father of Mongolia"s constitution.
The delegation is visiting Texas to learn about judicial ethics as part the law school"s Asian Judicial Institute. The law school has been helping Mongolia since 1996 with its transition from communism to a democratic system with Western-style economic principles.
"They hadn"t been self-governing in 300 years," said Joe Spurlock II, a professor at the law school and director of the institute.
Delegation members learned about small claims court Monday morning. They attended an afternoon presentation on the Ethics Commission in Texas and on the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. Today, they will visit the Tarrant County Bar Association.
And later this week, they are to travel to Austin to meet with the chief justice of the Supreme Court and visit the governor"s office and the Texas Ethics Commission.
Gombosuren Ganzorig, legal adviser to the president of Mongolia, said the delegates are trying to strengthen their system by delving into issues of judicial impartiality, the separation of powers and a code of conduct. The delegation will also explore how to establish a bar association.
"We want to create good cooperation with the office of the Texas governor," Ganzorig said.