Constitutional Court Elects New Chairman

The Constitutional Court of Georgia elected Revaz Nadaraia as its new chairman on April 16, appointing him to a five-year term. Nadaraia, 45, succeeds Merab Turava in the position.

Nadaraia has previously served as Chair of the Poti City Court (2012-2016), and as a judge at the Tbilisi City Court (2016-2017) and Tbilisi Court of Appeal (2017-2021). He was also a member of the High Council of Justice from 2017 to 2020 and has served on the Prosecutorial Council since 2019.

On July 12, 2021, Nadaria was appointed as a Supreme Court judge for lifetime tenure, along with five other justices. The appointments sparked strong international criticism, as they were seen as violating the April 19 EU-brokered agreement aimed at judicial reform. The opposition and several civil society organizations, along with the Public Defender’s Office, boycotted the process, citing systemic flaws and a lack of transparency.

Nadaraia was appointed as a justice of the Constitutional Court on April 3, 2025. His oath-taking ceremony was attended by the officials from the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, along with the GD-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili, who expressed confidence that Nadaraia “will successfully handle this responsible and most important task.”

The Constitutional Court is widely believed to be influenced by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Several of its members have been sanctioned.

Following the contested October 26,2024 parliamentary elections, Constitutional Court of Georgia on December 3, 2024 rejected the appeals by President Zurabishvili and more than 30 former opposition MPs challenging the constitutionality of the October 26 parliamentary elections.

In October 2024 the Constitutional Court rejected the suspension of the highly controversial Foreign Agents law.

Earlier the same month, following GD government filing a case against President the Court ruled that the international visits of the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili, without the government approval were a breach of the Constitution.

In 2022 the Constitutional Court okayed another highly controversial move by the GD government, which caused outcry of local and international human rights watchdogs- abolition of the State Inspector’s Service. The Court refused to suspend the legislation dissolving the outspoken State Inspector’s Service.

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