Today, by a vote of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (LR), the Dean of the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University (VU), Prof. Dr. Haroldas Šinkūnas, was appointed as a judge of the Constitutional Court.
Congratulations!
The professor has many years of teaching experience, and in his scientific research, he delves into constitutional law, examines the history of political and legal theories, and political theory.
Prof. Dr. H. Šinkūnas obtained a Master of Laws degree in 1995, and since then he has been working as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of VU. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree in 2004, and from 2007 to 2022, he held the position of Vice-Dean for Studies at the Faculty of Law, and from 2013 to 2022, he was the Head of the Department of Public Law of the Faculty of Law. In 2022, he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Law of VU, a position he holds to this day. In 2025, he was awarded the title of Professor.
The professor also has experience in legal work in court and state institutions. In 1995-1997, he worked as an assistant judge at the Supreme Court of Lithuania, and in 1997-2005, he served as the Chief Legal Counsel of the Credit Institutions Supervision Department of the Bank of Lithuania. In 2005-2006, he was the legal advisor to President Valdas Adamkus and the Head of the Legal Department in the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania.
In his expert activities, in 2020, at the request of a judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Prof. Dr. H. Šinkūnas provided an opinion on cases under consideration by the Constitutional Court. In the same year, at the request of the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, he provided an opinion on the draft Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania.
The Seimas votes by secret ballot on the appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court consists of nine judges, and is renewed by one-third every three years. This update is due to take place in the spring of next year, but the names of the candidates must be announced six months in advance.