A system for the evaluation of judicial candidates for the Supreme Court of Georgia has been introduced at the Georgian Bar Association, establishing for the first time a unified and transparent framework for assessing judicial candidates within the legal profession. The system was developed and implemented with the support of the President of the Georgian Bar Association, David Asatiani, and on the initiative and under the leadership of the Association’s Executive Director, Giorgi Tshekhani.

The purpose of introducing the judicial evaluation system is to strengthen the role of the legal profession in the judicial selection process and to ensure that assessments of Supreme Court judicial candidates are conducted in accordance with clear, objective, and professional standards. The evaluation system is based on a dedicated guideline document that defines in detail the principles, criteria, and methodology of assessment, focusing on candidates’ integrity, independence, professional competence, and judicial skills, while excluding political or ideological considerations from the evaluation process. The said guideline document was prepared by the Association’s Executive Director, Giorgi Tshekhani, the Head of the Analytical Unit, Tamta Devdariani, and the following members of its Justice and Judicial Reforms Committee: Lola Kurkumuli, Sophio Sokhadze, and Ekaterine Getsadze.

As a result of the implementation of this system, the Association will be able to prepare reasoned assessment reports on candidates for the position of Judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia and submit them to the Parliament of Georgia, thereby institutionalizing the participation of the legal profession in promoting judicial independence, transparency, and public trust in the justice system.