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How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? March 3-7, 2025

The High Council of Justice (HCJ) had an active week, issuing eight positive decisions and two questionable ones. The HCJ upheld the Disciplinary Chambers’ decisions to dismiss the following judges: Pavlo Vovk – Former head of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK). Vovk and his court...

The Supreme Court Exceeds Its Powers and Attempts to Replace the HCJ

Recently, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court once again annulled a decision of the High Council of Justice (HCJ). By doing so, the Grand Chamber interfered with a well-founded decision of the HCJ and overstepped the legal limits of its authority. The case concerned judge Oleksandr Hnyp, whom the...

Ukrainian Parliament Adopts Draft Law on Administrative Courts in Second Reading: What Are the Risks?

On February 26, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Draft Law No. 12368-1, which envisions the establishment and operation of two new administrative courts to replace the liquidated District Administrative Court of Kyiv. The draft law was supported by 234 MPs. However, the version adopted in the s...

Financial Dependence and Questionable Selection: Why Draft Law No. 12368-1 on Administrative Courts is Harmful

The draft law that envisions the creation and operation of two new courts to replace the dissolved Kyiv District Administrative Court (No. 12368-1) is scheduled for voting in the Verkhovna Rada on February 25. The establishment of a single new High Administrative Court is also a requirement of the I...

The New Draft of the Roadmap Poses Risks to the Independence of the Public Integrity Council

As part of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU), the country must adopt a Rule of Law Reform Roadmap (the Roadmap) and define key priorities within it. Only by implementing these reforms can we complete negotiations on Chapters 23 and 24 of the EU Acquis and secure Ukraine’s desired EU...

Are We Doing Enough for an Efficient Judiciary in Ukraine? — Observations from International Partners

As part of the “Fair Courts: Are We Doing Enough?” conference, DEJURE Foundation brought together leading experts in the field of justice, civil society activists, government officials, representatives of the judiciary, international partners, and journalists on February 12 to discuss the progre...

HCJ Re-Elects Hryhorii Usyk as Head for a Second Term

On February 20, the High Council of Justice (HCJ) re-elected Hryhorii Usyk as chair for a second term, extending his tenure for another two years. Fourteen HCJ members voted in favor of Usyk, while three abstained from supporting any candidate. The head serving a second term must still work to make...

Another Attempt to Establish a Controlled High Administrative Court – International Experts in the Minority

On February 12, the Verkhovna Rada’s Legal Policy Committee endorsed the creation of two new courts to replace the liquidated District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK). Despite concerns raised by civil society organizations, the Parliament may soon vote on the revised draft law No. 12368-1. In...

15 Months of Qualification Assessment: HQCJ Retains 61 Judges with Negative Opinions of the Public Integrity Council

It has been 15 months since the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) and the Public Integrity Council (PIC) began their joint work on cleansing the judiciary. In January 2025, the pace of HQCJ interviews slowed due to the winter holidays, so here are the results of the February 2025 qualif...

“No One Plans to Discontinue the Work of Commissions with International Experts” – Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Olga Stefanishyna

During a DEJURE Foundation conference, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna affirmed that Ukraine will not abandon the involvement of international experts in the selection of judges and judicial bodies. “This format (commissions with foreign experts) was introduced to...

How should the reform of the Supreme Court take place?

More than 51% of Supreme Court judges raise integrity concerns

As of 2025, over 51% of the current judges of the Supreme Court may be of low integrity, according to negative opinions and information from the Public Integrity Council (PIC). Experts from DEJURE Foundation analysed available data on 153 sitting Supreme Court judges. Among them, 34 have received ne...