The DSA and the HJC agreed on the approach: court staff will not be reduced in 2026

The High Judicial Council agreed with the approach of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine regarding the phased implementation of staffing standards for courts in terms of the number of employees in the apparatuses of local and appellate courts.

As noted, the application of staffing standards is directly related to the decision on determining the number of judges in courts, as well as the need to align the staff of the apparatuses with updated indicators.

According to the approved action plan, after the HJC determines the number of judges, the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine must ensure the alignment of the staff number of court apparatus employees with the standards within five working days and submit updated staffing schedules for approval.

In the advisory opinion, the State Judicial Administration emphasizes that considering the phased increase in the number of judges in 2026–2028, it is advisable to maintain the actual number of court apparatus employees in 2026 without reductions.

This approach is justified by the need to form an institutional personnel reserve to ensure the organizational readiness of courts for the gradual increase in the number of judges in 2027–2028, as well as to preserve institutional memory and the proper level of professional competence of court apparatus employees.

The State Judicial Administration of Ukraine proposes that in courts where, according to staffing standards and the proposed number of judges, the apparatus size should increase, such an increase be made in 2026 proportionally to the actual staffing of judges within budget allocations; meanwhile, in courts where a reduction of the apparatus size is foreseen under similar conditions, it should be maintained at the actual level as of the date the HJC decision on the number of judges in local and appellate courts is made, without reductions.

Separately, for small local general courts (1–3 judges), a special procedure for forming the court apparatus staff is proposed: since the staffing standards significantly reduce the apparatus size of such courts, it is proposed to postpone such reductions until the law on changing the system of local courts in Ukraine due to the formation (liquidation) of districts comes into force.

Thus, the HJC agreed with the SJA of Ukraine's proposal for the gradual implementation of staffing standards for court apparatus employees, which will contribute to preserving the institutional capacity of the judicial system and the personnel potential of court apparatuses.

At the same time, the High Judicial Council drew attention to the advisability of further regulatory adjustment by the SJA of the relevant mechanisms for forming the staff number of court apparatus employees, criteria for their adjustment, and features of application during the transition period. According to the HJC, this will help ensure legal certainty, uniformity of practice in applying standards, and predictability in personnel and financial planning within the justice system.

It should be noted that the High Judicial Council determined the number of judge positions in local and appellate courts for 2026.

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