The function of Constitutional Court judges is to decide what legislation is unconstitutional and what is in accordance with the law. They are the arbiters of disputes among the president, parliament and government. In addition, ordinary citizens turn to them and from time to time they also settle extraordinary measures such as the recent scrapping of Mečiar's amnesties.
It will be the new Constitutional Court judges upon whom, to a major extent, the trust of ordinary people in the courts will depend.
Hence, non-governmental organisations and many recognised public figures have been calling, for several months, for a new generation of Constitutional Court judges whose credentials have been thoroughly scrutinised.
Parliament: election of Constitutional Court judges will not change Read more "As just one vote of a judge in the Constitutional Court can decide a case, it is crucial, for the future protection of fundamental rights and the principles of the rule of law, to find the right person," said lawyer Kristína Babiaková, who cooperates with the non-governmental judiciary watchdog Via Iuris.
Similarly, Transparency International points out that the candidates' moral integrity and expertise in particular, must be evaluated.
Candidates' CVs and past experience are of help when reviewing them.
Besides several politicians, like Robert Fico, other public figures alongside acclaimed experts are among the candidates, who desire to become a Constitutional Court judge.
