Bucharest Court Judges Reject Salary Law, Demand Defense of Judicial Independence

Judges at the Bucharest Court of Appeal have taken a firm stance against recent legislative proposals concerning judicial salaries and what they perceive as political interference. In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, June 9, the judges rejected the proposed new salary law for magistrates.

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Judges denounce the constant degradation of the rule of law in Romania through the sustained attempt to subordinate the judicial power by the political power.

Beyond the salary law, the judges expressed deep concern over the state of the rule of law in Romania. They formally requested the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), the body responsible for safeguarding judicial independence, to take immediate action. Their plea is for the CSM to halt what they describe as a "campaign of discreditation" targeting the judicial power, which they believe is an attempt by the political sphere to subordinate the courts.

The general assembly, convened by the judges' section of the CSM, saw participation from 202 out of 240 active judges. The judges' statement condemned the "constant degradation of the rule of law in Romania through the sustained attempt to subordinate the judicial power by the political power." They are calling for the CSM to undertake all necessary institutional steps, both domestically and internationally, to restore the balance essential for a democratic society.

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Judges request the Superior Council of Magistracy, in its capacity as guarantor of the independence of justice, to undertake all institutional steps at the internal and international level to restore the balance specific to the rule of law, by immediately stopping the campaign of discreditation of the judicial power and by recognizing by the other powers the real independence of the judge, as an essential requirement in a democratic society.

This decision comes after the CSM itself had previously communicated its views on the interim government's salary law initiative. The CSM had argued that the draft law was initiated in flagrant violation of constitutional and legal provisions regarding the legitimacy of a dismissed government. Furthermore, CSM members contended that the proposed law severely undermines the financial independence of magistrates and compromises the judiciary's role as a distinct power within the state.

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the support of each individual is essential for the Council, which depending on the evolution will convene in the future the general assemblies of judges for firm reactions that will lead to the defense of the judicial power, assuring the entire professional body of the Council's full involvement in guaranteeing and defending the status of the magistrate in Romania.