Discussions on new system of evaluation of judges to continue — Importance attached to need for ongoing development and improvement of the system

Discussions on the presentation of the new system of evaluation of judges continued on 10 and 13 May with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Judicial Council, the National Assembly, and the stakeholders. During the discussions, representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial bodies attached importance to the introduction of an independent, effective and objective system for judges. The active involvement of judges and court staffs in civil, administrative, bankruptcy, criminal, and anti-corruption specialisations in the discussions was ensured. During the events, members of the working group for performance evaluation of judges first presented the proposed methodology for performance evaluation of judges and its effectiveness, as well as the results of the pilot evaluation of judges under the proposed system. After the drafts were presented, the attendees shared their comments and actively discussed the legal status of the body conducting evaluation of judges, the involvement of judges and academic lawyers within that body, the proportionality of the numbers of judges and academic lawyers, the evaluation criteria and indicators, the application of a random selection system for court cases in the evaluation process, as well as other regulations related to the evaluation process. The members of the working group also emphasised the need to make certain amendments to the draft and, as a result of the discussions, the need for ongoing development and improvement of the new system. The three-day intensive discussions will contribute to the process of introducing an independent and effective system that will be in line with the best criteria for evaluation of judges, taking into account the positions of the stakeholders. The events were held through the involvement of the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Judicial Council, and through the joint efforts of the USAID/Armenia Justice Sector Support Project and the "Center for Legislation Development and Legal Research" Foundation.