The Program of Education set for Judges, Judicial Trainees and High Court Officials in the years 2000-2005

In the section focusing on law, seminar topics covered the following areas:

Freedom of expression, protection of personality

• freedom of expression and its limits - statements of facts, value judgments, proportionate critique
• freedom of expression and protection of personality
• related jurisprudence of the European Court of human rights

Constitution and international covenants in decision-making practice of courts

• application of constitutional principles in decision-making of general courts
• selection of case studies concerning topics:
  • restriction of ownership right in Slovakia
  • domestic violence
  • minority rights

Court and access to information

• the public access to information from the court
• audio/video recording of court hearing, related jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court and its application on public officials, including judges
• Freedom of Information Act – case studies

Discrimination and anti-discrimination

• definition of “discrimination” and its application in specific cases
• basic principles of “anti-discrimination” (international covenants, national legislation)
• case studies concerning discrimination (employment, health care, education)

Right to fair trail

• activity and inactivity of court – the most common examples of violation of fair trail
• right to have the case decided without undue delay – context, definitions, relevant outcomes for general courts
• right to properly-reasoned judgment as a part of the right to fair trail

Specific cases of damage claim

• government responsibility for damage caused by illegal decision or action of public authority
• case studies concerning a damage claim caused by illegal decision of public authority
• technique concerning calculation and vindication of certain atypical damage claims
• new law on responsibility for damage caused by public authorities

In the section focusing on personal development, seminar topics covered the following areas:

Effective communication of a judge - personality in the communication process

• selected assertive and communication skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, different types of personality and related types of communication
• paraphrasing, asking questions in the context of impartiality

How to manage stress /Time management

• definition of stress, mechanisms of stress origin and effects
• techniques of dealing with stress reaction - time management – principles and practical steps

Cogency and Convincingness of Communication and Feedback

• structure and pattern of argument, internal logic of reasoning
• review of effective communication techniques
• analysis of video-taped speech, feedback