Supreme Court chairman Vasyl Onopenko on Feb. 28 met in Kyiv with U.S. Ambassador John Tefft, according to the court’s press service.
“The existence of an independent judiciary is very important and necessary for legal governance and the democratic development of the country,” Tefft said during the meeting, according to the UNIAN wire service.
The Supreme Court’s press service said Tefft and Onopenko discussed implementation of the law on the judiciary and judge status and controversial new draft legislation governing the country’s court system.
Members of the parliament’s judiciary committee on March 2 are expected to review a draft law cutting the number of Supreme Court judges from 44 to 20.
Onopenko and his colleagues on the Supreme Court say many proposed changes are unconstitutional. Court justices on Feb. 28 agreed to create a working group to draft recommendations to lawmakers responsible for flooring the new measures.
Supreme Court justices have asked the constitutional court to examine the constitutionality of the law on judiciary and judge status, which President Viktor Yanukovych signed into law on July 27. The Venice Commission, also known as the European Commission for Democracy through Law, has also criticized the law.
