Inspectors are charged with evaluating whether a judge has properly applied law and procedure in his cases, upheld rights of litigation and evidence, granted reasonable postponements, reached judgments in a timely fashion, accurately assessed the grounds for judgment, and reached a sound decision. Inspectors also take into account the percent of judge's caseload that was decided during a given year.
In an effort to standardize the inspection process, special inspection forms were created that include all the elements on which a judge is evaluated. Each item is assigned a weight, with more significant items accounting for a higher percentage of a judge's final grade. Currently forms are available for the inspection of First Instance court judges, Execution judges, Appeals Court judges, Attorneys General, and prosecuting judges and a special form is being developed to inspect registration books.
The Law of Judiciary Independence stipulates that when appointed for the first time, a judge will be put under probation for three years from the date he assumes his job. When this period has lapsed, the Judicial Council issues a decision to appoint this judge permanently or to terminate his services.
The Council refers to the inspectors’ reports when making such a decision. The Inspection Regulation stipulates that none of the judges covered under its provisions can be permanently appointed or promoted unless two annual evaluation reports have been issued on him, with an average score of “good” or above (65-100% score).
Article 7 of the Law of Judicial Inspection stipulates that, “the judge whose performance has been appraised below “good” must submit an objection to the Minister within fifteen days as from the date of being served a copy thereof. The Minister will refer the objection along with a copy to the Objection Committee”.
When the objecting judge is of no lower than first grade, the Objection Committee will consist of the Chief Justice of the Court of Cassation as Chair, the Head of Public Prosecution, and the most senior judge at the Court of Cassation.
If the objecting judge is lower than first grade, the Objection Committee will consist of the Chief Justice of the Court of Cassation or someone he appoints as his delegate as Chair, a judge of the Court of Cassation as nominated by the Judicial Council and the Chief Judge of the Appellate Court to which the objecting judge reports.