Romania's Superior Council of Magistracy introduces new court case limits

The Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) in Romania is implementing a new mechanism for managing court cases, effective September 15. This reform introduces daily processing limits for courts based on their actual capacity, which is determined by the number of active judges.

Under the new rules, the registration of a legal request and its assignment to a judicial panel will become two distinct stages. While a request will still be recorded and assigned a number in the ECRIS system, cases that exceed a court's daily capacity will be placed on a waiting list, known as a ‘case flow management register’. These cases will remain without a designated judicial panel until capacity allows for their assignment.

The CSM has also established annual reference limits for judges: 119 cases for appeal court judges and 192 cases for tribunal judges. The implementation of these limits will be gradual, with full application expected by September 15, 2028. The National Union of Romanian Bars (UNBR) noted that the final decision includes provisions for the gradual application of the system, exceptions for urgent cases, and the possibility of priority assignment in special circumstances.