Hungarian Lay Judges

Description

In 2016, the Hungarian Ministry of Justice proposed a reform of the lay judge system as part of a broader overhaul of criminal procedure. The reform reflected a trend observed across several post-socialist countries since the 1990s. The Soviet-style lay courts of the one-party era had done little to foster confidence among legal professionals in the value of lay participation. In justifying the reform of the Hungarian mixed tribunal system and the corresponding reduction in lay participation, lawmakers cited past negative experiences, the system