Former constitutional court chief nominated for Supreme Court judge

The Judicial Council of Lithuania will consider the nomination of Gintaras Goda, the former president of the Constitutional Court, for a position as a judge on the Supreme Court of Lithuania, LRT reports.

President Gitanas Nausėda has formally requested the council’s advisory opinion on the appointment. The Judicial Council has scheduled an extraordinary meeting for May 8 to review Goda’s candidacy. Under the Law on Courts, the council’s chair must submit the decision to the president within five days.

Goda served as president of the Constitutional Court from 2023 until March of this year, when his term expired. He had been a justice on the court since 2017. Previously, he held a Supreme Court judgeship from 2005 to 2017, following his tenure at the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (2002–2005) and as a member of the Central Electoral Commission (1996–2002).

A legal scholar, Goda earned his doctorate from Vilnius University in 1995 and has taught there since 1991, currently holding the position of partnership professor at the Faculty of Law. He contributed to drafting Lithuania’s Code of Criminal Procedure and has published over 30 academic articles.

Under the constitution, Supreme Court judges are appointed and dismissed by the Seimas on the president’s recommendation.