An article by the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Dmitriy Malakhov on topic «Formation of courts and strengthening the independence of judges» was published in the «Kazakhstanskaya Pravda» newspaper

An article by the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Dmitriy Malakhov on topic «Formation of courts and strengthening the independence of judges» was published in the «Kazakhstanskaya Pravda» newspaper.

Thearticle describestherole of the SupremeJudicialCouncilas a constitutionalbody. As stipulatedinarticle82 of the Constitution: the appointment of judges at variouslevelsand the formation of the personnelpolicy of the judicialsystem are carried out throughproceduresprovided by the Constitutionandlegislation that.Theseproceduresensure the independenceandprofessionalism of the judiciary.

In the article is notedthat the Council has transformedfrom an advisorybodyunder the Presidentin1995to an independentandautonomousinstitutionwithexpandedpowers.Keystages of developmentinclude the strengthening of functionsin2016, the modernization of competitiveproceduresin2018-2021, andfurtherconsolidation of statusandfunctions through legislativeamendments in 2022-2023.

Today, the SupremeJudicialCouncil is responsiblefor the entirecycle of personneldecisionsfromselection of candidatesand holding the qualificationexamto the formation of a personnelreserveand the promotion of judges. The selectionsystem has becomemulti-staged anddigitized:computertesting,essays,case studies,psychologicaltesting,interviewsand an additionalstage-polygraph. The introduction of digitalandevaluationcriteria,comprehensivepeerreviewandcompetencyinterviewsenhances the objectivity of the process.

Since2019, the JudicialJury, which considersissues of disciplinaryresponsibility of judges, has been transferred to thejurisdiction of the SupremeJudicialCouncil.Thejury has been expanded,and the participation of representatives from differentauthoritiesand the legalcommunitymakesthedecision-making process moreobjective.Recentamendments have strengthened the proceduralsafeguards of judgesindisciplinaryproceedings.

Specialattention is paid to the joining of the Academy of Justiceto the SupremeJudicialCouncilin2024.Thisgave an impetus to the reform of judicialeducation: the Academy's developmentconcept was approved, neweducationalprograms were launched, internationalaccreditation was obtained,and the journalBulletin of the Academy of Justice was includedin the list of scientificpublications.

In conclusion, in the article was emphasized that the key areas of institutional reforms remain the establishment of high standards of the judicial profession, improvement of procedures for the selection and promotion of judges, increase of competitive procedures transparency, strengthening of independence and responsibility guarantees, as well as the involvement of the legal and civil society inti the work of the Council. All these measures help to strengthen public confidence in the judicial system.