The acceptance of applications for membership in the Supreme Council of Justice at the Administration of the President of Georgia ended on July 1.

To ensure complete transparency in the selection process for membership in the Supreme Council of Justice and to increase public confidence in the chosen candidate, the President of Georgia established an independent selection commission on June 21. The commission will evaluate the qualifications, reputation, independence, and integrity of the candidates based on the information presented by them and the results of individual interviews. It will then submit recommendations about the candidates to the President of Georgia.

Five applications for participation in the competition have been submitted to the Administration of the President of Georgia. At this stage, the selection commission is verifying the compliance of the documents submitted by the candidates with the legislation.

The commission will conduct interviews with the candidates next week. The interviews will be broadcast through the official social media channels of the President of Georgia.

The selection process for the non-judge member of the High Council of Justice will be monitored by experts from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE.

The term of office for the non-judge member of the Supreme Council of Justice appointed by the President of Georgia expires on July 22, 2024.

The main steps of the fundamental reform of the Supreme Council of Justice are outlined in the "Georgian Charter," drafted by the President of Georgia. One key step is the assessment and verification of the qualifications, integrity, independence, and other important information about the members of the Supreme Council of Justice by an independent and impartial commission.

The President has the discretionary right to select and appoint as a member of the Supreme Council of Justice one of the candidates participating in the competition, provided they meet the requirements established by law. Despite this, the President has created an independent selection commission, which will provide recommendations to the President about the participants in the selection competition for membership in the Supreme Council of Justice.

The President will appoint a non-judge member of the Supreme Council of Justice no later than July 15, 2024.