Supreme Court of Georgia

Self-governance Body

According to the Organic Law On Common Courts of Georgia, Judicial Conference of Georgia is the self-governance organ of common courts judges of Georgia. The Judicial Conference is composed of the judges of the Supreme Court, of the Appeal Courts and of the District (City) Courts.

The aim of the Judicial Conference is to protect and strengthen the independence of the Judiciary; improves the trust of the society and public awareness; supports to heighten the judges’ authority.

The Conference of Judges, in its activity, is guided by the Constitution of Georgia and Georgian Legislation, by the Charter of the Judicial Conference of Georgia and by the Conference Regulations. The Charter and the Conference Regulation, which define the main principles of the activities, are approved at the Judicial Conference by the majority of the listed judges, with an official initiating of the High Council of Justice.

The Judicial Conference of Georgia:

a) by the majority of two-third of the presented members at the session elects:

a.a) the Members and the Chairman of the Administrative Committee; 

a.b) the Members and the Secretary of the High Council of Justice; 

a.c) the judge member of the Disciplinary Panel of Judges of the Common Courts of Georgia.

b) approves the Charter of the Judicial Conference and the Regulations;

c) hears the annual reports of the head of the Judicial Conference and the Chairman of the Common Courts of Georgia, about activities of these institutions;

d) discharges the other authorities envisaged by the law, by the Charter of the Judicial Conference and the Regulations;

e) adopts the Judge Ethics Rules by the official initiation of the High Council of Justice of Georgia.

The Judicial Conference of Georgia has to be held at least once a year. An extraordinary conference has to be held by the initiative of the Administrative Committee, or by the written request of one-fifth of the judges of the Common Courts of Georgia. The extraordinary Judicial Conference has to be held, when according to the law, the member(s) of the High Council of Justice; the judge member(s) of the disciplinary board of common courts of Georgia; the member(s) of the Administrative Committee should be elected. The extraordinary session of the Judicial Conference is held only with a special agenda and has to be closed as soon as it is over.

The agenda of the Judiciary Conference is published on the web-page of the Supreme Court of Georgia before the session, 7 calendar days earlier.
The sessions of the Judicial Conference are open. The Judicial Conference is authorized to discuss the issues and make decisions, if the session is attended by the more than half judges of the common courts of Georgia.
According to the Article 65 of the Organic Law on Common Courts of Georgia, the Judicial Conference makes decision by the secret ballot. In all the other cases the decisions are made by the open vote by the majority of members present at the session.