“Significant disciplinary misconduct of judges: from theory to practice”
An article by Alla Kotelevets, a member of the High Council of Justice and a Ph.D. in Law, and Olena Ovcharenko, an associate professor at Yaroslav Mudryi National University, is — at the link.
41 judges were dismissed between January and March 2026
36 judges were dismissed on general grounds:
- 35 judges were dismissed due to submission of applications for resignation;
- 1 judge was dismissed due to submission of application at own volition.
The High Council of Justice dismissed 5 judges under special grounds, in particular, for committing a significant disciplinary misdemeanour.
Within three months of 2026, the High Council of Justice decided to make submissions to the President of Ukraine on appointment of 47 candidates to the positions of judges, of whom to:
- general local courts — 9 judges;
- general courts of appeal – 31 judges;
- economic courts of appeal – 4 judges;
- administrative courts of appeal – 3 judges.
President of Ukraine supported submissions of the High Council of Justice on appointment of four judges
By Decrees of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi dated April 13, 2026, Nos. 309/2026–312/2026, three judges were appointed to the Chernihivskyi court of appeal and one to the Kovelskyi local-district court of Volyn region.
HCJ will make submissions to the President of Ukraine on appointment of two judges to the Chernihivskyi court of appeal
On April 14, 2026, the HCJ took decision to make submission to the President of Ukraine on appointment of two judges to the office in the Chernihivskyi court of appeal, in particular, Kyrychok Stanislav Anatoliiovych anf Prachuk Olena Vasylivna.
HCJ dismissed judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi local-district court of Odesa region for committing significant disciplinary offence
On April 14, 2026, the HCH decided to dismiss Valentyn Zavveriukha from the position of judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi local-district court of Odesa region under paragraph 3, Part 6 of Article 126 of the Constitution of Ukraine
The realization of this procedure was carried out on the basis of submission of the First Disciplinary Chamber of the HCJ, which decided to bring Valentyn Zavveriukha, judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi local-district court of Odesa region, to disciplinary liability and impose disciplinary sanction in the form of submission on dismissal from office.
24 judges were brought to disciplinary liability during the first three months of 2026
Based on the results of consideration of disciplinary cases between January and March 2026, the Disciplinary Chambers of the High Council of Justice adopted 24 decisions on bringing 24 judges to disciplinary liability and imposed the following types of disciplinary sanctions upon them:
- warning – upon 9 judges;
- reprimand with deprivation of the right to receive supplemental payments to the basic wage of a judge for one month – upon 1 judge;
- severe reprimand with deprivation of the right to receive supplemental payments to the basic wage of a judge for three months – upon 2 judges;
- initiation of temporary suspension from administration of justice – upon 1 judge;
- initiation of the judge’s removal from office – upon 12 judges.
During the first quarter of 2026, the HCJ received 46 reports on interference with the professional activities of judges in the administration of justice, as well as actions that violate the guarantees of judicial independence or undermine the authority of the judiciary. Taking into account reports received in previous periods, the Council has considered 56 reports from judges since the beginning of this year.
By results of consideration of 23 reports on interference with the activities of judges in the administration of justice, 17 decisions were made to take response measures.
Having considered 31 reports from judges, the Council adopted 9 decisions on the approval of 25 opinions from members of the High Council of Justice on the absence of grounds for taking measures to ensure judicial independence and the authority of the judiciary.
Judgments of the ECHR have been one of the key factors in the transformation of the Ukrainian justice system - Hryhorii Usyk
The international conference “National Courts and the European Court of Human Rights: respective roles, interaction and judicial dialogue” discussed the implementation of ECHR judgements, the development of effective legal remedies, and the development of national judicial practice.
Chairman of the HCJ, Hryhorii Usyk, noted in his address: “There are many more examples of how the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights have become one of the key drivers of the transformation of the Ukrainian justice system, as these judgments identified systemic and structural problems that required far-reaching changes.”
He particularly highlighted the role of the High Council of Justice in ensuring judicial independence and forming an honest corps of judges, emphasising that the work of this body is largely based on the standards of the European Court of Human Rights.
More details – at the link.
The HCJ decided to conduct an additional application period for the selection to the positions of the Deputy Heads of the SJA of Ukraine from April 16, 2026, to May 7, 2026.
This decision was taken due to the need to involve more candidates to ensure a transparent and competitive selection process for these positions.
By its decision dated March 12, 2026, the HCJ announced that there were two vacancies for the positions of Deputy Heads of the SJA of Ukraine. Under that decision, applications were accepted up to and including April 14, 2026.
The requirements for the vacant position of Deputy Head of the SJA of Ukraine, as well as procedure and place for submitting applications, are available at the link.