The U.S. State Department has awarded the University of Utah law school a $2.5 million grant to help Iraq build an independent judiciary.

Hiram Chodosh, dean of the university's S.J. Quinney College of Law, says the project has several goals: to assess and develop a constitutional and legal framework, to create a way to enact laws and amendments to the Iraqi constitution, and to develop a way to advance legislation on issues like criminal law and procedure.

The Iraqi Judicial Independence Project, university students and faculty and outside advisers will consult with Iraqi judicial and political leaders on the project.