Lithuania’s Judicial Council recommends Gintaras Goda for Supreme Court justice

The Judicial Council of Lithuania has advised President Gitanas Nausėda to nominate former Constitutional Court chairman Gintaras Goda as a justice of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, state broadcaster LRT reports.

The council’s extraordinary session on Friday saw 14 members vote in favour of the recommendation. Under Lithuanian law, a former Constitutional Court judge may be appointed to the Supreme Court without undergoing the standard selection process or examination.

Goda, 60, previously served as a Supreme Court justice from 2005 to 2017 and completed his term as Constitutional Court chairman this March. He holds a doctorate in law from Vilnius University, where his 1995 dissertation examined pretrial detention and human rights protections through comparative legal analysis.

His career includes roles as a legal consultant for the Court of Appeal, the Ministry of Justice, and the Seimas Legal Department, as well as membership in the Central Electoral Commission (1996–2002). From 2002 to 2005, he served as a judge on Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court. He has also completed professional placements at legal institutions in Germany and Austria.

President Nausėda’s advisor Andrius Kabišaitis noted during the council session that Goda has played an active role in shaping legislation and influencing the development of Lithuania’s legal system. He contributed to drafting the Code of Criminal Procedure, authored a scholarly monograph and multiple textbooks on criminal procedure law, and co-authored numerous academic articles in the field.

Supreme Court justices in Lithuania are appointed and dismissed by the Seimas upon the president’s nomination.