The Call of 94 lawyers to select judges of the Constitutional Court – “We are seeking the Constitutional Court”

With the upcoming election of candidates for the Constitutional Court, the former judges of the Constitutional Court, the Public Defender of Rights, previous and current judges of the Supreme Court, judges of other general courts, the Rector of the University, the Deans of law faculties, university professors, practising lawyers, and the MPs call for the responsibility in the election of candidates for constitutional judges in order to restore the effective operation of the Constitutional Court.

The Call – We are seeking the Constitutional Court 

The Constitutional Court belongs to citizens, not politicians. It belongs to everyone, not only to the powerful. It has an irreplaceable role in ensuring that the values ​​of our constitution, such as freedom, equality and dignity do not remain merely on paper. We deserve to have a comfortable space for our lives and not to worry that what we are building; our family, our work or our property may be illegally taken away because someone stronger decided so.

We elect MPs to protect and implement constitutional values responsibly. They should do so transparently because they do not replace but represent us – the citizens. The selection of constitutional judges shall be perceived as a public election, which is constitutional and democratic. To achieve this goal, the selected judges must enjoy broad, bipartisan support.

We became witnesses of the actions that paralyse an effective operation of the Constitutional Court due to an insufficient number of candidates. However, the Constitutional Court can also be crippled by having judges who do not believe in the constitution and its values. Electing candidates who understand our Constitution and represent its values in their public and private lives is essential. Otherwise, the Constitutional Court will not be trusted by us –society. Once a society does not trust institutions, especially the judiciary, we return to a state where influential people, instead of agreed and established rules, begin to rule. Healthy democratic life becomes impossible in such a state.  

The Constitutional Court is a faithful guardian of constitutionality. Therefore, we call upon the MPs to fulfil their duty and by electing the candidates for the judges of the Constitutional Court to show that they are here for us, not for themselves.