Constitutional Court of Portugal

4 The Composition of the Court The Constitutional Court is made up of 13 Justices. In order to be eligible for appointment as Justice of the Constitutional Court, a person must be a Portuguese citizen in full possession of his/her civic and political rights, and must hold a doctoral, master’s or bachelor’s (licentiate) degree in Law or be a judge of one of the other courts. – 6 of the Justices are obligatorily selected from among the judges of other courts. – The rest are jurists, and in the great majority of cases are chosen from among Law professors. How are the Court’s 13 Justices appointed? – 10 are elected by the Assembly of the Republic. Election by the Assembly of the Republic requires a qualified majority to vote in favour. This must number at least two thirds of the Members of the Assembly who are present at the election (and must also be greater than an absolute majority of all the Members in full exercise of their office), thereby ensuring a broad consensus in the organ that represents the whole Portuguese people. – The other 3 are co-opted (i.e. chosen) by the 10 Justices elected by the Assembly of the Republic, among whom they must each secure at least 7 favourable votes. From left to right, top row: Justice Pedro Machete; Justice Maria João Antunes; Justice Maria de Fátima Mata-Mouros; Justice José da Cunha Barbosa; Justice Catarina Sarmento e Castro; Justice Maria José Rangel de Mesquita; Justice João Cura Mariano; Justice Fernando Vaz Ventura. Bottom row: Justice Carlos Fernandes Cadilha; Justice Maria Lúcia Amaral; Justice Joaquim de Sousa Ribeiro; Justice Lino Rodrigues Ribeiro; Justice Ana Guerra Martins.