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Who We Are And What We Do

ZOJ is an informal initiative of active and emeritus judges, established in 2009 to rehabilitate the judiciary and enhance its credibility by promoting the three fundamental pillars of the rule of law, which are Transparency, Fairness and Openness. This objective is also reflected in the name of the judicial initiative "For Open Justice (ZOJ)".

From November 2011 to October 2017, ZOJ operated as a civil association under the name "Judges for Open Justice". Based on the decision of the Conference of Members of the Association of 20 October 2017, the transformation from a civil association to an informal and independent judicial initiative "For Open Justice" took place again.

Our Core Values

We are here for everybody who is interested in the situation in our judiciary and who wishes to openly discuss this topic, share opinions free, give incentives and proposals to change.

Our motto are the words “For Open Judiciary“ and we continue in goals and documents of the initiative with this name, and also in activities of the civic initiative “Justice Opens Gates“ and the proclamation of judges “Five Sentences“.

We are determined to protect the interests of the judges against unjustified attacks from outside and inside the system. We succeeded with our activities protecting judges who according to our opinion were bullied and disciplinary prosecuted. However, protection of corporate interests of judiciary is not our primary goal. It is the improvement of the situation. We do not think that Slovak judiciary is in ideal condition and that nobody has the right to criticize it. We want to accept constructive criticism, to discuss it and accept ideas for improvement. On the other hand we also will resolutely refuse defamation of judiciary as a whole.

  • Practices of courts in their decision-making, in the selection of new judges, in their career advancement, and in the evaluation of judges that are transparent and open to public scrutiny.
  • Ensuring fair court proceedings in accordance with the law equally for all parties and participants in court proceedings.

  • Opening the judiciary to public scrutiny.

Founders

The judges' initiative ZOJ was founded in October 2009 in Čierny Balog by the following judges:

Katarína Javorčíková

ZOJ spokesperson, judge emeritus of the Regional Court in Bratislava, member of the Judicial Council of the SR

Dagmar Valocká

ZOJ spokesperson, judge of the Trnava District Court, member of the Judges Evaluation Commission

 

 

Dušan Čimo

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

 

 

 

 

 

Elena Berthotyová

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR, member of the Judicial Council of the SR

 

 

 

Ján Hrubala

President of the Specialized Criminal Court

 

 

 

 

Pavel Rohárik

President of the Banská Bystrica District Court

 

 

 

 

Anton Jaček

President of the Regional Court in Trnava

 

 

 

Miroslav Gavalec

Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union

 

 

 

Juraj Babjak

Judge emeritus of the Regional Court in Banská Bystrica, former judge of the Constitutional Court of the SR

Ľudmila Babjaková

Judge emeritus of the Regional Court in Košice, former member of the Judicial Council of the SR

 

Rudolf Čirč

Suspended judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

 

Darina Kuchtová

Judge of the Regional Court in Bratislava, member of the Judges Evaluation Commission

Mária Tóthová

Judge emeritus and former president of the Trenčín District Court

 

Milan Trylč

President of the Senica District Court

 

 

Edita Szabová

Judge emeritus of the Regional Court in Bratislava

 

Supporters

Gradually, other colleagues joined us, supporting the activities of ZOJ. As of 19.4.2021 the following judges from ZOJ supporters agreed to publish their names:

Iveta Záleská

President of the Regional Court in Trenčín

 

Marta Rybárová

Judge emeritus of the Trenčín District Court

 

Kristína Glezgová

Judge Emeritus of the Lučenec District Court, member of the Judges Evaluation Commission

Ľudovít Bradáč

Former president of the Regional Court in Banská Bystrica, member of the Judicial Council of the SR

Igor Belko

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

 

 

Pavol Farkaš

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

 

 

Peter Hatala

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

Jana Hatalová

Judge of the Supreme Court of the SR

Daniela Baranová

Judge of the Prešov District Court

Marián Vorobel

Judge of the Prešov District Court

 

Mária Laufová

Judge emeritus of the Liptovský Mikuláš District Court

Maroš Fekete

Judge of the Bratislava III District Court

 

Barbora Barteková

Judge of the Regional Court in Bratislava

 

Jana Veselá

Judge of the Dolný Kubín District Court

 

Dáša Kontríková

Judge of the Regional Court in Trnava, member of the Judges Evaluation Commission

Karol Posluch

Judge of the Bratislava III District Court

 

Filip Demo

Visiting judge for the Regional Court in Nitra

 

Pavol Barabas

Visiting judge for the circuit of Regional Court in Košice

Ľubomíra Krchníková

Judge of the Pezinok District Court

Michaela Štiglicová

Judge of the Pezinok District Court

Magdaléna Balážová

Judge of the Lučenec District Court

Our deceased colleagues

Were also founders and sympathizers of ZOJ:

Juraj Majchrák

Former Deputy president of the Supreme Court of the SR

Milan Růžička

Former president of the Veľký Krtíš District court

Anna Benešová

Judge of the Regional Court in Bratislava

Pavol Sládok

Judge of the Regional Court in Trnava

Contact us with any idea, question, proposal or motion!

We will try to reply as soon as possible and we will publish your text also with commentary.

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