Former Kaunas regional court chief applies again for leadership position

The former head of the Kaunas Regional Court, Arūnas Purvainis, has re-entered the competition for the court’s top position, Lithuania’s National Courts Administration announced on Wednesday, LRT reports.

Purvainis previously led the court from 2020 to 2025 before his term expired last April, after which he continued working as a judge. Since his departure, the court—one of Lithuania’s largest—has operated without a permanent leader, with Vaida Motiejūnienė serving as acting chief. Motiejūnienė is also among the candidates in the current selection process, alongside judge Sigita Meškauskienė, who had withdrawn from a prior competition.

The selection follows an earlier attempt to appoint a new chief judge, which saw Kristina Imbrasienė selected before the Presidential Office called for a new round of applications.

Last December, Lithuania’s Supreme Court upheld a reprimand issued to Purvainis by the Judicial Honour Court for repeated ethical violations. The court found his conduct—including disrespectful remarks about colleagues, public criticism of judicial decisions, and prohibiting judges from commenting on rulings—had damaged the judiciary’s reputation. While Purvainis partially acknowledged his misconduct, he defended his approach to internal discussions.

The Kaunas Regional Court, with over 70 judges and 250 staff, handles civil, criminal, and administrative cases across its branches in Kaunas, Kaišiadorys, Jonava, and Kėdainiai. In 2025 alone, it processed more than 32,000 cases.