Lithuania’s Judicial Council re-elects its current leadership

Lithuania’s Judicial Council has re-elected its current leadership, LRT reported on Friday, citing the National Courts Administration.

Danguolė Bublienė, president of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, will continue as council chair. Ramūnas Gadliauskas, a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, remains deputy chair, and Viktorija Šelmienė, president of the Vilnius City District Court, remains secretary.

The leadership is elected by secret ballot from among the council’s members. Those elected serve two-year terms.

The council also includes judges and court presidents from Lithuania’s Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, regional courts, district courts and administrative courts. Among the members named by BNS are Gabrielė Juodkaitė-Granskienė, Andžejus Maciejevskis, Artūras Ridikas, Justas Namavičius, Tomas Venckus, Marius Bartninkas, Aurimas Brazdeikis, Rūta Petkuvienė, Gediminas Užubalis, Sigita Meškauskienė, Aivaras Naujalis, Ernestas Šukys and Ernestas Rimšelis.

The Judicial Council is the executive body of judicial self-governance and is tasked with ensuring the independence of courts and judges. It has 17 members, who must have at least three years of judicial experience and no disciplinary penalties. The council also advises the president on judicial appointments, promotions, transfers and dismissals, as well as on appointments and dismissals of court leaders and the number of judges assigned to courts.