Judges could also influence policy debates while handling politically charged cases, Trócsányi said. Judicial independence is the “guiding star” of democracy, Trócsányi said, rejecting criticism by the opposition and certain professional groups “who immediately envision harm to judiciary independence if the justice minister mentions the judiciary branch.”

Upholding that independence is an important part of his work, he said.

Administrative courts which the government now plans to restore for the first time since the institution has been abolished by the Communist state in 1949 represent another cornerstone of the rule of law, he said. Regarding the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Trócsányi said that the Strasbourg court “has an important role in protecting human rights.

However, member states have criticised it for interfering in issues pertaining to national sovereignty.

Certain judges seem to think of themselves as arbiters of the values of European society, although they determined those values without asking the citizens or their representatives,” he said.

MTI photo: Máthé Zoltán