Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Sunday started interviews with female judges for jobs in different courts, the Ahram Arabic news website has reported. The female judges, who sat special law exams as part of the interview process two weeks ago, have previously worked in jobs that did not involve any dispute resolution at the State Litigation Authority and the Administrative Prosecution. The council is expected to carry out the interviews through to Monday. The SJC announced in February that it would accept applications from female judges for positions in different courts, and listed several qualifications. The selection process underway is the latest effort towards appointing female judges in a field that has long been dominated by men. In 2003, Tahani El-Gibali became the first female judge in Egypt when she was appointed to the Supreme Constitutional Court by a presidential decree. In 2007, some 31 women started serving as judges, mainly in family and civil courts. In March 2010, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that female judges could be appointed to the State Council, an administrative court. "The experience was successful in 2007, that's why it is being repeated," Judge Abdel-Rahman El-Garhy told Ahram Online. To date, no women have been appointed as judges in Egypt's criminal courts, he said, although there is no legal restraint to appointing female judges to these courts. Egypt's president appoints all civilian judges, after the SJC's approval. The Egyptian constitution states that all citizens are equal before the law and have equal rights. Source: Ahram Online
