About

Based on the amendments made to the legislation in order to improve the process of judges evaluation, the Judges Evaluation Committee was established and formed, and the Judicial-Legal Council, taking into account the opinions of foreign experts and progressive international experience, developed the Regulations on the Judges Evaluation Committee and the Rules and Methodology for Assessing the Performance of Judges.

The Judges Evaluation Committee is formed by the Judicial-Legal Council in a composition of 9 judges, including 3 judges from each instance (three judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan, three judges of the courts of appeal, three judges of the courts of first instance).

The activities of judges are evaluated on the basis of quantitative (judicial workload and ability to cope with it) and qualitative (quality of management of judicial acts and court proceedings, communication skills, judicial ethics and discipline) indicators, which allow determining their level of professionalism based on the materials collected by the Judges Evaluation Committee.

The activities of court chairmen, deputy chairmen and chairmen of the chambers in the exercise of administrative powers are assessed on the basis of materials collected by the Judges Evaluation Committee, based on criteria that allow determining their management skills (observance of labor and executive discipline in the relevant court and the state of organization of work (conducting court statistics and archival work, compliance with clerical rules, organization of management of the court apparatus, the state of studying and generalizing judicial practice, reception of citizens, organization of work in the court in the field of considering applications).

The activities of judges are assessed taking into account the results of monitoring the activities of the courts, information from the Office of the Judicial-Legal Council, the judge whose activities are being assessed, as well as the chairmen of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan, courts of appeal and first instance, and the number of cases referred for mediation in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Mediation”. When assessing the activities of judges, the information available to the members of the Judicial-Legal Council may be used. The Judges Evaluation Committee, by drawing up a final opinion on the results of the assessment of the judge’s activities, Submits to the Judicial-Legal Council.

As a result of the assessment of the judge's performance, one of the following conclusions is determined:

The judge's performance is highly evaluated. In this case, the Judicial-Legal Council considers the possibility of the judge's promotion.

The judge's performance is assessed satisfactorily. In this case, the Judicial-Legal Council adopts a decision on the judge's suitability for the position.

There are professional shortcomings in the judge's performance. In this case, including when systematic shortcomings in the application of substantive and procedural legal norms are revealed as a result of monitoring the activities of the courts, the judge's (except for persons appointed as judges for the first time) performance is re-evaluated at a time determined by the Judicial-Legal Council, but not earlier than one year and not later than two years. If professional shortcomings are again revealed in the judge's performance during the re-evaluation, his or her powers are terminated early in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Courts and Judges".

At the conclusion of the evaluation of the activities related to the exercise of administrative authority by court chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and chairpersons of chambers, one of the following results is determined:

the performance is assessed as satisfactory. In this case, the Judicial-Legal Council shall make a decision on submitting a proposal for the appointment of the court chairman, deputy chairman or chairman of the board to an administrative position.

the performance has professional shortcomings. In this case, the Judicial-Legal Council shall make a decision on the unsuitability of the court chairman, deputy chairman or chairman of the chamber to hold the position.