On Wensday 3 May, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, appointed Justice Vojtěch Šimíček as Vice-President of the Constitutional Court. The appointment was made due to the expiration of the terms of office of three Justices, two of whom were serving as Vice-Presidents.  

The Vice-President of the Constitutional Court acts for the President in his absence and may be entrusted with some of the President’s duties permanently if the Plenum agrees. The President of the Republic does not need the consent of the Upper House of Parliament for the appointment of a Vice-President. The Constitution provides for the appointment of two Vice-Presidents. Still, even one is sufficient to maintain the continuity of the functioning of the Constitutional Court and to ensure that the President of the Court can be deputised for, for example, during his illness or leave of absence. However, the Vice-President, like the President, has the same weight of voice in judicial decisions as any other Justice.

Doc. Šimíček is a leading expert in the field of constitutional law. He has been associated with the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University throughout his professional life. Before he was appointed a Justice of the Constitutional Court in 2014, he was a Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court for eleven years and in the past was also an assistant to Justice Vojen Güttler. He knows the constitutional justice system thoroughly, not only from the theoretical but also from the practical side, because in nine years of his tenure at the Constitutional Court, he has been a Justice Rapporteur in a total of 2,798 proceedings, 160 of which ended with the issuance of a Judgment. 

Although Vojtěch Šimíček’s term as Justice (and Vice-President) will expire in June 2024, his experience, diligence and positive thinking give hope that as Vice-President, he will guide the Constitutional Court through a challenging period of membership turnover and help set the rules that will frame its entire fourth decade of work. The act of appointment by the President of the Republic, which took on Wednesday, was not only good news for Vojtěch Šimíček, but - above all - for the Constitutional Court! 

Vlastimil Göttinger
Secretary General