The Judicial Council is an executive body of the autonomy of courts ensuring the independence of courts and judges.
The Judicial Council shall be composed of 17 members:
1. By virtue of their office – the Chairman of the Supreme Court, the Chairman of the Court of Appeal, the Chairman of the Supreme Administrative Court;
2. Judges elected by the General Meeting of Judges: three from the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Administrative Court each, one from each regional court, one from all regional administrative courts and one from all district courts located in the territory of each regional courts activities. The candidates shall be nominated and elected during the General Meeting of Judges by the representatives of the relevant courts.
3. A judge whose period of service in judicial office is less than five years or on whom disciplinary penalty has been imposed may not be elected a member of the Judicial Council.
4. The term in office for the member of the Judicial Council shall be four years.
5. The Chairman of the Judicial Council, the Deputy Chairman and secretary shall be elected by secret ballot for two years from the Judicial Council members. The first session of the new Judicial Council shall be opened by the judge serving the longest term as the judge. The judge shall organise the election of the Chairman of the Judicial Council.
Competence of the Judicial Council:
1) elect by secret ballot the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and the Secretary of the Judicial Council;
2) approve the Rules of Procedure of the Judicial Council;
3) give an informed advice to the President of the Republic in respect of the appointment of judges, their promotion, transfer and removal from office;
4) give an informed advice to the President of the Republic in respect of the appointment and removal from office of Chairmen, Deputy Chairmen, and Chairmen of divisions of courts;
5) give an informed advice to the President of the Republic in respect of determining or changing of the number of judges in courts;
6) form the examination commission of candidates to judicial office; approve the regulations of the examination commission of candidates to judicial office, the programme of the examination;
7) approve the procedure of entering the candidates in the list of judicial vacancies at the district court and the procedure of entering the candidates in the register of persons seeking judicial promotion;
8) form permanent and ad hoc commissions and approve their regulations;
9) elect and appoint by secret ballot members of the Judicial Ethics and Discipline Commission, elect the Chairman of the Commission from all the Commission members and withdraw them on the grounds laid down by this Law; approve the regulations of the Judicial Ethics and Discipline Commission;
10) appoint by secret ballot members of the Judicial Court of Honour and withdraw them on the grounds laid down by this Law;
11) approve the regulations of the Judicial Court of Honour;
12) hear reports of the Judicial Ethics and Discipline Commission, reports on the activities of the Judicial Court of Honour;
13) be entitled to propose instituting a disciplinary action against a judge;
14) approve the description of assessment of the judges’ activities and the regulations of the Permanent commission of assessment of the judges’ activities, consider complaints regarding the results of assessment of the judges’ activities;
15) form the Permanent Commission for the Assessment of the Judges’ Activities;
16) set the procedure and grounds for establishing the judges’ specialisation, approve the regulations of the distribution of cases to judges and the regulations for forming the chambers of judges;
17) approve the regulations of administration in courts, resolve other issues of administration in courts;
18) approve the regulations of organising the training of judges, the training programmes, the annual plans for improving the qualifications and qualification requirements to the lecturers;
19) approve model structures of district, regional and regional administrative courts, model lists of positions and job descriptions;
20) consider and approve proposals on draft investment programmes for courts and proposals for the budgets of courts and submit them to the Government;
21) hear the reports of the National Courts Administration on its activities;
22) every year not later than by 31 March publish in the internet web site of the National Courts Administration a review of the court activities in the previous year;
23) convene the regular and, when necessary, extraordinary General Meetings of Judges;
24) co-operate with other institutions and organisations of Lithuania on the issues of court autonomy, administration and other issues relevant for the activities of courts;
25) co-operate with institutions of other countries and international bodies on the issues of court autonomy, administration and other issues relevant for the activities of courts;
26) have the right to receive from state institutions information required for performing the functions of the Judicial Council;
27) decide other issues relating to court activities and relevant legislation.