The CSM approved the retirement of Ionela Tudor, the judge who became famous for the phrase “I called Lia”
The Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM) accepted, on Thursday, the request of judge Ionela Tudor to retire, on February 10, 2026. Tudor was the delegated vice-president of the Bucharest Court of Appeal and the head of Section X for administrative and fiscal litigation, as well as for public procurement.
Ionela Tudor, judge. PHOTO: Video capture
According to the minutes of the CSM decision, “The section for judges decided to forward to the President of Romania the proposals regarding the release from office, through retirement, starting on February 10, of Mrs. Judge Ionela Tudor, president of the 10th Section for Administrative and Fiscal Litigation and for Public Procurement of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, delegated to the position of vice-president of this court”.
Professional path
Ionela Tudor, 51 years old, started her career as a lawyer (1998–2004), then entered the judiciary. He served as a judge at Fetești Court, Slobozia Court, Călărași Court, Ialomița Court and Bucharest Court (2017–2021), and from 2023 he was active at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
Among the controversial cases he resolved is also the case in which he suspended the analysis of the doctoral thesis of former prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, who was sued for plagiarism, citing “the need for stability in the executive management of the state”.
“Lia called me” episode
The judge came to the public's attention in December 2025, during a press conference organized by the management of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, consisting of president Liana Arsenie and vice-presidents Ionela Tudor and Domnica Adomniței.
While Arsenie was answering a question, Tudor looked into the phone and whispered: “He called me… Lia called me, I'm going to talk”leaving the presidency. He later returned and showed the president his phone screen, reading the message: “It is excluded that… it is excluded that Predoiu intervened. He did not suggest”. The episode attracted media and public attention, becoming symbolic of the influence exerted in the judicial system.
The retirement of Ionela Tudor thus marks the exit from the judiciary of a figure known both for her judicial decisions and for the moment that made her famous in the public space.
