THE LAW OF GEORGIA on changes and amendments to the Constitution (the Supreme Law) of the Republic of Georgia

To introduce the following changes to the Constitution (the Supreme Law) of the Republic of Georgia:

1.  To word part 2 article 163 as follows:

“The courts of Georgia are: the Supreme Court of the Republic of Georgia; the Supreme Courts of the Abkhaz ASSR and the Adjara ASSR; Tbilisi city courts and the district (city) courts”.

2. To word article 164 as follows:

“Article 164.  All courts in the Republic of Georgia shall be set up on the basis of appointed or elected judges and of elected lay-judges.

The judges of district (city) courts shall be appointed by the Presidiums of the Supreme Councils of the Republic of Georgia and of the Autonomous Republics, accordingly.  The administrative judges shall be appointed by the relevant ministers of justice.

The judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia and of the Supreme Courts of the Autonomous Republics shall be elected by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia and the Supreme Councils of the Autonomous Republics, respectively.

The judges of all courts shall be appointed or elected for ten-year term in office.  The administrative judges shall be appointed for five-year term in office.  The lay-judges of all courts shall be elected for five-year term in office.

The lay-judges of district (city) courts shall be elected at the citizens’ meeting through voting, according to the place of residence or occupation; the lay-judges of city courts are elected by the local authorities, and the lay-judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Georgia and the Supreme Courts of the Autonomous republics shall be elected by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia and Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republics, respectively.

The judges of the Supreme Courts and the lay-judges of all courts shall be responsible and accountable before the bodies which have elected then or the relevant electorate and they may withdraw them on the basis of rule established by the law”.

(…)

4.  To word article 171 as follows:

“The court proceedings in the Republic of Georgia shall be conducted in Georgian language, and in the autonomous republics – in a state language of the autonomous republic.  The persons having no command in the language of court proceedings shall have the right to learn the case and participate in the proceedings through the interpreter, also the right to address the court in his/her native language”.

(...)

Chairman of the Supreme Council  of the Republic of Georgia Z. Gamsakhurdia

Tbilisi, 28 December 1990

(Bulletins of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia, # 12, 1990, p. 60-62)