Moving a CCR judge before the Court session on magistrates' pensions, blocked for two months
The 9 judges of the Constitutional Court of Romania. Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea. Collage: Ion Mateș / HotNews
Constitutional Judge Gheorghe Stan is on leave and will be absent from Wednesday's meeting on the Bolojan Government's law that reduces magistrates' pensions and increases the age at which they can retire, sources from the Constitutional Court told HotNews. Gheorghe Stan's absence will lead to another postponement. According to the CCR's operating regulations, decisions cannot be taken without the presence of a judge who participated in the debates. Stan is one of the four judges appointed to the PSD proposal, who have so far boycotted the CCR meetings on the magistrates' pension law.
The Constitutional Court will meet on Wednesday, February 11, in a session where it is expected to rule on the reform of magistrates' pensions, after four postponements.
Sources from CCR told HotNews that judge Gheorghe Stan took a leave of absence.
The regulation on the organization and operation of the Constitutional Court provides, in article 17, paragraph 2:
“In the event that all the judges who participated in the debates are not present, or in the situation in which the conditions provided for in art. 58 paragraph (3) of Law no. 47/1992, republished, are met, the ruling on the case will be postponed for a later date. The postponement will be recorded in a conclusion drawn up by the assistant magistrate, indicating the reason that determined this measure”, states article 17, paragraph 2.
Judge Gheorghe Stan could not be contacted – he did not answer either the phone or the written questions sent by HotNews. The editorial office also tried to contact the President of the Court, Simina Tănăsescu.
The decision on the magistrates' pensions has already been postponed four times
The law providing for the reform of magistrates' pensions reached the CCR after it was challenged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
At the first CCR meeting, on December 10, 2025, the constitutional judges postponed taking a decision. Later, at the meeting on December 28, four judges, all proposed by the PSD – Gheorghe Stan, Bogdan Licu, Mihai Busuioc and Cristian Deliorga – left the meeting, so no decision could be made.
On December 29, when the session was resumed, the four judges who had left the courtroom the day before did not show up at all.
Cristian Deliorga, Gheorghe Stan, Bogdan Licu and Mihai Busuioc, the four CCR judges who boycotted the December 29 meeting later sent a joint statement in which they claim that their absence from the meeting “did not mean a blockage of the Court's activity, but a decision related to compliance with the rules of operation and the legal framework that governs the activity” of the CCR.
On January 16, the Constitutional Court announced that it decided to postpone the hearing, after new documents were submitted and the constitutional judges have to analyze them.
Who is Gheorghe Stan?
He was the chief prosecutor of the Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ), between January and June 2019, before being appointed as a member of the Constitutional Court by the decision of the Chamber of Deputies at the PSD proposal.
He held the position of Deputy Chief Inspector of the Judicial Inspection during 2012-2019.
