Thirty-One New Judges Take Oath in Parliament
The judges were elected at three High Judicial Council sessions held in April and May, and took the oath before Speaker Ana Brnabic and Supreme Court President Miroljub Tomic.
In the main hall of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, 31 judges took the oath of office on Tuesday, August 11, all of them stepping into a judicial role for the first time. The oath was administered before National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic and Supreme Court President Miroljub Tomic, with High Judicial Council President Bojana Coguric also attending the ceremony.
Everyone who appeared before parliament was elected at three High Judicial Council sessions, held on April 23 and 30 and on May 7, 2026. All of them are candidates who had never previously served as judges, which makes this their first term on the bench.
Which Courts Will the New Judges Join?
The appointments span six courts, ranging from basic courts to a misdemeanor court and a commercial court, across four cities:
- First Basic Court in Belgrade
- Second Basic Court in Belgrade
- Third Basic Court in Belgrade
- Basic Court in Valjevo
- Misdemeanor Court in Nis
- Commercial Court in Novi Sad
The focus, then, falls on Belgrade’s basic courts, the instances that handle the largest number of first instance cases and where the length of proceedings is most often measured.
What the Supreme Court President Told the New Judges
Tomic congratulated the new judges on their election and wished them success in their work. In his address, he dwelled on the obligation a judge takes on the moment they step into the role, telling them:
The basic task of the court is to provide citizens with effective protection within a reasonable time. From the moment you step into judicial office, you too will contribute to fulfilling that task through your decisions, rendered in accordance with the Constitution and the law. I believe, and I am certain, that your decisions will be fair and impartial.
The Supreme Court president also said that the future of Serbia’s judiciary now rests with the newly elected judges. He wished them continued growth and advancement, and expressed hope that one day they would stand before future judges taking their own oath.
Oath Ceremony Comes Amid Parliamentary Work on the Judiciary
The ceremony coincided with a period in which judiciary related matters have also been on the agenda of parliamentary bodies. The Committee on Judiciary, State Administration and Local Self-Government decided on July 29, 2026, to hold public hearings on two texts: the draft Law on the Judicial Academy, submitted by the Government on July 17, 2026, and the draft amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Corruption.
The Judicial Academy is the institution candidates for judicial office pass through before their first appointment, so the debate over its legal framework concerns exactly the path traveled by those who took the oath on Tuesday.
In parallel, parliament is operating under an extraordinary session. Brnabic convened the Ninth Extraordinary Session of the National Assembly’s Fourteenth Convocation on July 27, at the request of 109 lawmakers, with proceedings starting at 10 a.m.
For the judges themselves, the formal part is now complete. The oath brought the High Judicial Council’s April and May selection process to a close, while the real test of what Tomic described, protection within a reasonable time, begins only now, in the courtrooms of Belgrade, Valjevo, Nis and Novi Sad.
