Civil society organizations called on the authorities to urgently fill vacancies in the Constitutional Court

A number of public organizations appealed to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Congress of Judges of Ukraine with an appeal to urgently complete the procedures for selecting and appointing judges to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. According to the authors of the appeal, the prolonged existence of vacant positions in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine poses a risk to the functioning of the system of constitutional control, the rule of law, and Ukraine’s European integration course.

The corresponding appeal was published by the DEJURE Foundation.

Who the public addressed

In the appeal, public organizations called on:

The President of Ukraine to immediately appoint a judge of the Constitutional Court from among the candidates who have already passed the competition procedure, or to announce a new competition for the vacant position;
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to consider candidates from the rating list of the Advisory Group of Experts and fill vacant positions according to the parliamentary quota;
Congress of Judges of Ukraine — to begin a new selection of candidates under the judicial quota, ensuring openness, transparency and competitiveness of the competition procedure.
Why is this important

The authors of the appeal emphasize that the Constitutional Court is one of the key elements of the system of checks and balances and the guarantor of the protection of the Constitution of Ukraine.

In their opinion, an understaffed or politically dependent Constitutional Court can create serious risks to the stability of state institutions, especially in conditions of martial law, when the country functions without an electoral process and political reset.

What is the situation with vacancies

According to the signatories of the appeal, vacant positions of judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine remain unfilled under all three appointment quotas.

In particular:

in October 2025, the Verkhovna Rada did not appoint a single candidate recommended by the Advisory Group of Experts, which is why the competition had to be announced again;
The President of Ukraine appointed two judges, but one more vacancy remains unfilled despite the presence of candidates who passed the competition;
vacancies also remain under the quota of the Congress of Judges of Ukraine due to the absence of candidates who completed the integrity check.
European integration aspect

Representatives of public organizations emphasize that the timely formation of a competent composition of the Constitutional Court is one of the important obligations of Ukraine in the field of the rule of law and the fight against corruption on the path to membership in the European Union.

In their opinion, further delays in conducting competitions and appointing judges may negatively affect not only the functioning of the Constitutional Court, but also Ukraine’s fulfillment of European integration obligations.