Tomic to take oath as Supreme Court president on Wednesday

Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic has called the Fourth special session of the 14th convocation for Wednesday, June 17, beginning at 10 a.m. The session has a single agenda item: the swearing-in of the Supreme Court president. Taking the oath before lawmakers will be Miroljub Tomic, whom the High Judicial Council elected to the post on May 14.

The text of the judicial oath binds the office-holder to perform the role faithfully to the constitution and the law, and to serve truth and justice. It is a formal act, though not a symbolically empty one, since it confirms the mandate of the head of the country’s highest court before the legislature. By procedure, the special session is kept separate from parliament’s regular work precisely so the oath is given its due weight.

What makes this Wednesday denser than usual is the schedule that follows immediately after the ceremony. At 11 a.m., an extraordinary sitting of parliament begins, carrying as many as 32 agenda items. Among them is the judiciary law package proposed by the Serbian government, a matter that moves well beyond the ceremonial and into the heart of the debate over how the judiciary is organized.

What really lies behind this double slot?

Pairing the two events on the same day is no accident. The new Supreme Court president’s oath and the entry of the judiciary law package into parliamentary procedure fall within the same window, which inevitably links two subjects that formally stand apart. One is personal and institutional, the other systemic, touching the rules under which the judiciary operates.

The government’s judiciary law package has already drawn objections. Part of the opposition and professional associations have reservations about the proposed solutions, arguing that certain provisions encroach on questions of independence and the organization of judicial bodies. Detailed amendments and the final wording to be voted on have not yet been published, so it remains to be seen how sharp the floor debate will be and whether the proposer is prepared to make changes.

As Speaker, Brnabic set both time slots, giving the whole day a clear structure: first the ceremonial part, then the working one. For lawmakers, that means a quick shift from a solemn to a legislative mode.

Why the schedule matters to lawmakers and the public

Extraordinary sittings with a large number of items as a rule run for days, and 32 items suggest parliament will not wrap up in a single afternoon. That places the judiciary law package within the broader context of parliament’s work, alongside a string of other matters.

For the public, the key question is one of substance, not form. The oath is a predictable step after the election that took place in May. The real test will be the debate on the judiciary laws, where the positions of the government, the opposition and the profession collide. How the vote will go, and whether the proposals will pass in their submitted form, will only become clear once the session is well under way.

Will Wednesday’s debate on the judiciary laws bring a genuine discussion, or will it come down to a procedural vote?