Judgment No. 19253 of 2024: Limits and Possibilities of Judicial Review on Public Competition Committees

Judgment No. 19253 of July 12, 2024, issued by the Court of Cassation, represents an important ruling regarding public competitions, particularly concerning the assessment of examination committees. The Court established the limits within which the administrative judge can exercise oversight over technical evaluations, avoiding encroachment on the realm of administrative merit.

The Context of the Judgment

In this specific case, the Court examined an appeal against a decision of unsuitability in a competition for the appointment of a regular magistrate. The judge emphasized that the evaluations of the committees are subject to judicial control, but only within certain limits. In particular, judicial review is admissible in cases of manifest illogicality, evident unreasonableness, or misrepresentation of the facts, as expressly indicated in the maxim:

(APPEAL FOR) - SPECIAL JURISDICTIONS (APPEALABILITY) - COUNCIL OF STATE Judicial oversight by the administrative judge over the technical evaluations of public competition committees - Admissibility - Limits - Excess of judicial power for encroachment on the merit sphere - Prerequisites - Manifest illogicality or evident unreasonableness or misrepresentation of the facts in relation to the articulation of the criteria previously established by the committee - Necessity - Case concerning the examination competition aimed at the appointment of a regular magistrate.

The Issue of Excess Judicial Power

A crucial point of the judgment is the asserted necessity to not replace the evaluation criteria established by the committee. The Court highlighted that, in the presence of evaluation criteria set by law, the judge can intervene only if the evaluations are manifestly illogical or unreasonable, but cannot substitute their own criteria for those of the committee. This is essential to ensure that judicial power does not encroach upon the realm of merit, a cornerstone principle of administrative justice.

Conclusions

In conclusion, judgment No. 19253 of 2024 provides an important clarification regarding the limits of judicial review over the evaluations of public competition committees. It reiterates that judicial control must remain within well-defined boundaries, avoiding encroachment on the competence of the committees themselves. This balance is essential to preserve the autonomy of competition committees and ensure a fair and just public selection system.

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