Differences in the functioning of the Czech and Slovak Supreme Administrative Courts through the eyes of Karel Šimka

The guest of the fifth episode of the Administrative Podcast is the President of the highest judicial body in matters of administrative justice in the Czech Republic, Karel Šimka. The topic of our joint conversation with the President of the Czech Supreme Administrative Court is “Administrative Justice in the Czech Republic and its Differences from Slovak Administrative Justice”.

Karel Šimka is a Czech judge and political scientist, and since February 2022, the third President of the Czech Supreme Administrative Court, where he began his work as a judge in 2004. He recalls his beginnings as President of the Supreme Administrative Court as a time that gave him a renewed appetite for work. He describes the gradual creation of the judiciary after the establishment of the Supreme Administrative Court, emphasizing its current diversity and the benefits resulting from it. In the interview, he talks about how, during his tenure as President of the Court, the number of pending cases was significantly reduced, the length of proceedings was shortened, and what role the increase in the number of assistant judges and the involvement of interns played in this. He describes his strategic plans as President of the Court and what tactical goals he tries to fulfill in the performance of his function.

In the podcast, you will learn what Karel Šimka thinks the “masculinization” of a state that is too “kind” should look like, why courage is “cheap” in his opinion, and that he may never fully get to know his colleagues, which is a good thing from his point of view. In the interview, he compares the state of the Slovak and Czech administrative judiciary and the differences in the functioning of the highest administrative courts in both countries. In addition to reminiscing about his journey to the title of “Lawyer of the Year”, he also recalls the case law he co-created and the groundbreaking series of decisions that changed views on law.

Listen to the story of a judge who, as he himself says, may not be a judge in ten years, in the fifth part of the Administrative Podcast on the following platforms:

You can watch and listen to the fifth episode of the Administrative Podcast on the following platforms: