The Administration of Courts in the Czech Republic: In Search of a Constitutional Balance

Abstract:     
This article focuses on the administration of courts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The comparison of the recent developments and case law in both countries suggests that in post-Communist societies, the problems encountered in the area of the administration of courts are the same irrespective of the institutional design chosen, i.e. irrespective of the fact whether or not a country established a self-standing judicial council or not. Moreover, as the current developments in Slovakia show, the establishment of an independent judicial council in a politically immature environment may even lead to certain “hijacking” of a new institution by the old Communist judicial elites and the sealing off of the institution behind a veil of judicial independence.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Accepted Paper Series