Court personnel

President

The President of the Supreme Administrative Court leads the work of the Court and is responsible for its performance. He or she chairs the plenary sessions and the administrative sessions. The President also participates in the adjudication of individual legal cases by acting as chair of the composition. The President acts as the administrative head of the members and the Secretary General.

If the President is unable to perform his or her duties, they are carried out by the Deputy President, who is elected by the plenary session for a term of up to three years at a time. If he or she is also unable to attend, the duties of the President are performed by the most senior member currently in office.

Election of the President

Before the post of President of the Supreme Administrative Court is filled, the vacancy is advertised. The advertisement is published on the Supreme Administrative Court’s website and in national newspapers, amongst other places.

The applicants deemed most suitable on the basis of their applications are invited for interview. The interviews take place in a plenary session where members assess the applicants. The selection process is presided over by the most senior member. The plenary session submits its opinion to the Minister of Justice on who should be appointed.

The President of the Republic of Finland appoints the President of the Supreme Administrative Court. The President is appointed to the post on a permanent basis.The general retirement age and termination of employment applicable to the President are laid down in the Act on Public Officials in Central Government (section 35).

The eligibility requirements and appointment of the President of the Supreme Administrative Court are laid down in chapters 10 and 11 of the Courts Act.

Members (Justices of the Supreme Administrative Court)

Members are called Justices of the Supreme Administrative Court. The members serve as judges. Under the law, the Supreme Administrative Court must have at least 15 members in addition to the President. In addition to the President, there are currently 22 members in office. At the Supreme Administrative Court, the members participate in the consideration of all matters relating to the administration of justice within the chambers, in accordance with the division of responsibilities and the session plans.

Members of the Supreme Administrative Court also participate in the work of the Board of Directors of the National Courts Administration, the Judicial Appointments Board and the Judicial Training Board. Members are also available to appear before the various Parliamentary committees upon request to discuss matters concerning the drafting of legislation.

Election of members

Before the post of member of the Supreme Administrative Court is filled, the vacancy is advertised. The advertisement is published on the Supreme Administrative Court’s website and in national newspapers, amongst other places.

Applicants deemed most suitable on the basis of their applications are usually invited for an interview, unless they have already been interviewed in connection with a previous recruitment process for the Supreme Administrative Court. The interviews are conducted by the President of the Supreme Administrative Court and members appointed to the task. Interviews may also be conducted at an administrative session of the Supreme Administrative Court or, if necessary, at a plenary session.

The plenary session draws up a proposal with justification for the appointment of a member, which is then submitted to the Government for presentation to the President of the Republic of Finland. The President of the Republic of Finland appoints the members of the Supreme Administrative Court. They are appointed to the post on a permanent basis. The procedure for appointing members on fixed-term contracts is the same as that for permanent members.

The appointment of members of the Supreme Administrative Court and the eligibility requirements are laid down in the Courts Act (chapters 10 and 11).

The right to stay in office, which safeguards the independence of judges, is provided for in the Constitution of Finland (section 103) and the Courts Act (chapter 16). The general retirement age and termination of employment applicable to judges are laid down in the Act on Public Officials in Central Government (section 35 in Finnish and English).

Expert members (Expert Counsellors)

The Supreme Administrative Court currently has four part-time chief engineering counsellors and eight part-time expert counsellors on the environment. In addition to the legally trained Justices of the Court, two expert counsellors on the environment are involved in the handling of certain environmental protection and water-related matters, and two chief engineering counsellors are involved in the handling of matters relating to patents, utility model rights or integrated circuit layout designs. An expert counsellor has the status of an independent judge.

The President of the Republic of Finland appoints the expert members for a term of five years at a time, but not beyond the age at which judges are required to retire. The selection process is the same as that used for appointing members.

The eligibility requirements for expert members are laid down in the Courts Act (chapter 17, section 9).

Secretary General

As the President’s closest aide, the Secretary General ensures that the Supreme Administrative Court operates smoothly. His or her key responsibilities include overseeing the administration of the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Secretariat of the Supreme Administrative Court comprises the Chamber Secretariat, Administrative Secretariat and, where necessary, other areas of responsibility within the office.

The Secretary General or other official appointed by the President presents administrative matters to the plenary session, administrative session and President. The Secretary General decides on matters falling within his or her purview without the case being presented.

The Secretary General acts as the supervisor for senior officials of the office and as the administrative supervisor for the referendaries of the Supreme Administrative Court. The Deputy Secretary General acts as deputy to the Secretary General.

The Secretary General is appointed to the post by a plenary session of the Supreme Administrative Court. The current Secretary General of the Supreme Administrative Court is Ms Jenny Rebold.

The eligibility requirements for the Secretary General are laid down in the Courts Act (chapter 19, section 5).

Referendaries

The Supreme Administrative Court employs referendary counsellors and judicial secretaries as referendaries. The referendaries prepare the cases to be decided by the Supreme Administrative Court and present them to a decision-making panel at a hearing. The Secretary General may also act as a referendary in certain judicial matters.

There are approximately 35 referendaries working at the Supreme Administrative Court.

A plenary session of the Supreme Administrative Court appoints referendaries to their posts. Eligibility requirements and criteria for the appointment of referendaries are the same eligibility requirements and criteria applied for judges under the Courts Act (chapters 10 and 11).

The provisions of Article 103 of the Constitution concerning judges’ positions and the right of judges to remain in office also apply to referendaries and to the positions of referendaries at the Supreme Administrative Court.

Other personnel

The Supreme Administrative Court also has administrative personnel who support the Court’s judicial activities. The chamber secretariat is responsible for preparatory and follow-up work relating to judicial matters at the Supreme Administrative Court, whilst the administrative secretariat is responsible for administrative functions. The office employs approximately 45 people.

The chamber secretariat ensures that incoming cases are prepared for presentation at a meeting, checks the documents relating to the case and ensures that the case entries are accurate. The chamber secretariat is responsible for serving decisions and other documents, and assists the judicial personnel with case management and other procedural matters, as well as the chamber’s other activities.

The administrative secretariat is responsible, among other things, for functions relating to personnel and financial management, information management, information services, communications and general office services.

The President of the Supreme Administrative Court appoints the Deputy Secretary General, Head of Information Services and Head of Communications. The Secretary General appoints officials to the office, unless the power of appointment lies with the administrative session or the President.

The eligibility requirements for other personnel are laid down in the rules of procedure of the Supreme Administrative Court (section 36, in Finnish and Swedish).