Govt to Discuss Changes to Judicial Reform, Including Women’s Quota

Rome: The government has indicated its willingness to discuss the inclusion of a women’s quota and a partial review of the draw process concerning the election of members to the judiciary’s self-governing body, the Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura (CSM), in upcoming talks. These discussions are set to take place with representatives from the magistrates’ union, Associazione Nazionale Magistrati (ANM), as part of a planned reform of the judiciary.

According to Ansa News Agency, the reform aims to separate the career paths of prosecutors and judges, preventing members of the judiciary from switching between the two roles. This move is part of a broader Constitutional reform bill, which has already passed the first of at least four necessary parliamentary votes required for its approval. The bill also proposes the establishment of a high court dedicated to disciplining members of the judiciary and revises the composition and election process of the CSM, which would utilize a draw system.

The revised system under potential discussion would involve selecting magistrates based on a set of predefined requirements before proceeding to the draw process. Meanwhile, lay members of the CSM would be chosen from a list of candidates nominated by Parliament. The government is scheduled to meet with representatives from ANM and Italian criminal lawyers on March 5 to further deliberate these proposed changes.