Georgian Parliament Confirms New Supreme Court Chair

On March 17, Parliament of Georgia confirmed Nino Kadagidze as the new chairperson of the Supreme Court for a ten-year term with 82 votes in favor. Kadagidze became second female chairperson of the Georgian Supreme Court replacing Nino Gvenetadze, who had resigned in August 2018, citing “health-related problems.”

Prior to voting, independent MPs Eka Beselia and Levan Gogichaishvili voiced objection to Kadagidze’s candidacy and called on the deputies not to endorse her. “She embodies the past and represents the brutal system in the judiciary, which was once rejected by the Georgian Dream [ruling party]; it [Georgian Dream] came to power vowing to change the system. Supporting this candidate boils down to succumbing to the past. I am appealing to you to postpone the vote and reject her candidacy,” Beselia stated.

“You [ruling party MPs] try to slip through Kadagidze’s candidacy, which I think is unethical. We could have delayed the voting, as there was a lack of argument, there were no deliberations,” Gogichaishvili argued. Responding to these accusations, Majority Leader Mamuka Mdinaradze stated that the Parliament had been fast-tracking all urgent issues. “We have to act in an adequate manner and take rapid decisions not to hinder functioning of state institutions, [otherwise] this would lead to a collapse-like situation,” Mdinaradze added.

During the Legal Issues Committee hearing earlier today, Kadagidze told the MPs that the Supreme Court chairmanship would not be “a comfort zone” for her, but she would “still accept the challenge.”

“I thought that I had to seize this chance [to take the job], as Georgian judiciary had been given a unique opportunity to nominate a career judge actively involved in all crucial stages of the court reform,” stated Kadagidze at the committee hearing.

Opposition MPs from United National Movement and European Georgia were absent both from the committee hearing and the vote during the plenary session, boycotting Kadagidze’s candidacy.

On March 10, Nino Kadagidze was nominated by the High Council of Justice (HCoJ) of Georgia, a state body overseeing the judiciary. She is among the 14 Supreme Court judges who were confirmed by the Parliament last December for a lifetime tenure.

Former judge of Tbilisi Court of Appeals Nino Kadagidze held various positions at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia earlier in 1994-2000. In 2000 she was appointed as a judge of the Chamber of Administrative Cases of Tbilisi District Court. In 2002-2012 she was a judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Since June 17, 2013, Kadagidze served as a Judge of the Chamber of Administrative Cases of Tbilisi Court of Appeals.

Georgia’s High Council of Justice Nominates Supreme Court Chair Candidate

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