Topical issues of legal regulation of the status of the high qualification commission of judges of Ukraine
Review
In autumn 2019, the Judiciary of Ukraine once again became the object of reform, which once again showed the dependence of its stability on the change of the political elite in the state.
Thus, some provisions of the Law of Ukraine № 193-IX of October 16, 2019 «On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine «On the Judiciary and Status of Judges» and some laws of Ukraine regarding the activities of judicial governance bodies» (Law № 193) were aimed at «resetting» the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQC).
As a result, effective at the time of entry into force of the Law № 193, the HQC has stopped exercising its powers, which led to the suspension of the activities of this body of judicial governance, which plays a key role in the staffing of the judiciary.
The purpose of the article is to study certain elements of the HQC’s legal status in light of their compliance with international standards and the wording of author’s proposals for its improvement.
As a result of the study, it was concluded that it is necessary to amend the Law «On the Judiciary and Status of Judges» (SCC Act), aimed at improving the status of the HQC.
Providing that such amendments, depending on the will of the legislator, may take place both locally – by changing certain provisions of the current SCC Law, and by adopting a generally new version of the SCC Law, it is proposed that: 1) part 1 of the SCC Law (currently it is Article 92 of the SCC Law) under the title «Status of the High Qualification Commission of Judges» look like this:
«The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine is a state collegial body of judicial governance, which operates on a permanent basis in the justice system of Ukraine to ensure the formation of a virtuous and highly professional corps of judges, as well as to solve issues of judicial career.
The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine is subordinated to the High Council of Justice within the limits determined by the law»;
2) Part 1 of the SCC Law entitled «Composition of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine» (currently Art. 94 of the Law on SCC «Members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine») provided that:
«The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine consists of 16 members, 9 of whom are appointed from among judges or judges in retirement».
In the context of the latest proposal, it is stated that the figure 16 used is the quantitative composition of the HQC, the change of which has been criticized by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. However, this figure cannot be considered unchanged. Changing the legally defined number of HQC members is possible if the functions assigned to it are ensured by the smooth and effective operation of this body.
Key words: High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, HQC status, HQC composition, judicial governance bodies, judiciary.
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