Vote of Egyptian Constitutional Court opens door for the appointment of women judges in Egypt

On Sunday, Egypt's Constitutional Court issued an opinion opening the door for the appointment of women judges in Egypt by reversing a previous decision by the General Assembly of State Council to exclude women from the judiciary.  The General Assembly had voted by an overwhelming majority in February to prohibit women from being given judicial appointments.  The Constitutional Court's decision came as a result of a "request for clarification" by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.  The Constitutional Court voted that the general assembly did not have the power to decide the issue and that the decision about whether to appoint women judges is within the administrative committee's jurisdiction.

The administrative committee will take up the question next week.  If the administrative committee decides to approve women judicial candidates, then women would be eligible for judicial appointment by presidential decree following approval of the candidate by the administrative committee.

The Jordan Times reports about the Egyptian Constitutional Court's decision here.

~clf