For a long time now, Slovenian politics has not been able to decide who will become the new Constitutional Court judge of the Republic of Slovenia. After the unsuccessful attempts of filling the position by Anže Erbežnik, Andraž Teršek and Barbara Zobec (she withdrew her candidacy), this time, the representatives of the people will soon be deciding on a new candidate. President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, decided to nominate professor emeritus at the faculties of law in Ljubljana and Maribor, professor Janez Kranjc, Ph.D., for the position.
“An excellent choice. One of the greatest experts in the world, feared by all law students in Slovenia, but at the same time, an excellent professor. An old-school academic, with dignity and integrity, not a professional signatory of petitions for the deep state,” Mitja Iršič, a lawyer, publicist and public relations consultant at the Ministry of Culture, commented on the selection of a candidate for the position of the Constitutional Court judge.
The Constitutional Court in our country is one of the most important legal institutions. The President of the Republic, Borut Pahor, is also aware of this. Judgments of the Constitutional Court are very important, as they help ensure that the Constitution is respected, as well as help strengthen democracy and human rights. The role of the court is independent, and the decisions of the nine Constitutional Court judges must be respected, Pahor believes. He called on the politicians to show institutional restraint towards the work of the judges. Its judgments should be commented on with restraint and respect. With these words, part of the Slovenian public can only ask president Pahor whether the public and politics should not critically point out the obvious mistakes of the Constitutional Court. Let’s just hope that Janez Kranjc will meet the expectations of both the MPs and the public and will therefore fill the position of the Constitutional Court judge. If the National Assembly supports his candidacy, he will replace the Constitutional Court judge Dunja Jadek Pensa.
A respected and esteemed legal expert
Associate member of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts (SAZU) and professor emeritus Janez Kranjc teaches Roman law and legal history at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana. And at the University of Maribor, he teaches future lawyers about German legal terminology.
He had previously held various positions at the faculty and the university. He was the vice-dean for two terms and also the dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana for three terms. He served as chairman of the statutory commission and a member of the senate of the University of Ljubljana for several terms. He has been chairing the International Forum at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana since its establishment in 1994. He is currently the chairman of the commission for ethical issues at the University of Ljubljana. As far as references go, we can only say that he is an excellent legal expert who deserves the majority support of the MPs in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.
Luka Perš
