By: Carolyn A. Dubay, Associate Editor, International
Judicial Monitof and
Assistant Professor, Charlotte Law School
In
2012, judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) elected a new
President of the Court, Luxembourg’s Dean Spielmann. Judge Spielmann is
serving a three-year term as President, where he will direct the administration
of the ECHR and serve in a multitude of other capacities. Among the top items
on his agenda will be implementing a series of reforms aimed at improving the
ECHR’s case management and procedures to deal with the heavy caseload facing
the Court. Fortunately, statistics from 2012 indicated a decline in complaints
for the first time, although the overall caseload at the ECHR remains extremely
high. The 128,000 cases pending at the end of 2012 indicated a decrease from
151,000 a year earlier. Most complaints pending before the ECHR continue to
originate from only four countries – Russia, Turkey, Italy and Ukraine. With
only 47 judges to handle pending matters, the overall caseload continues to be
a central issue for the ECHR’s reform agenda.
Dean
Spielmann has been a judge at the ECHR since 2004 and has served in leadership
positions as a Section President and then Vice-President of the Court. Prior
to joining the ECHR, Judge Spielmann was a distinguished lawyer and member of
the Luxembourg Bar. He practiced in the areas of administrative law, civil and
criminal law and human rights law, including acting as counsel in a number of
cases before the ECHR. Judge Spielmann has also been a member of the European
Union Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights and the Advisory
Commission on Human Rights of Luxembourg.
International
Judicial Monitor