The court has scheduled the first hearing on the appeal for June.
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body overseeing all Armenian courts, can sack judges after repeatedly subjecting them to disciplinary action.
A controversial government bill enacted last year empowered the Ministry of Justice to formally demand such action. The number of SJC proceedings against judges has increased sharply since then, raising more concerns about judicial independence in the country.
Opposition members of the Armenian parliament say that the bill is unconstitutional because it allows the government and law-enforcement agencies to interfere in the work of the judiciary. They want the Constitutional Court to declare it null and void.
Aram Vartevanian, a lawmaker representing the opposition Hayastan bloc, insisted on Tuesday that the main purpose of the new prerogative given to the Ministry of Justice is to pressure or punish judges refusing to make politically motivated decisions wanted by the authorities.
In a report released in September, an anti-corruption arm of the Council of Europe also expressed concern over the bill and urged the Armenian authorities to seriously revise it. Justice Minister Karen Andreasian dismissed those concerns, saying that disciplinary proceedings sought by the authorities are not meant to pressure the courts.
In a joint statement issued in January, a dozen judges, among them members of the Court of Appeals, accused Andreasian of abusing that authority to try to bully judges known for their independence.
Andreasian rounded on them in a recent interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. He implied that they must be among scores of judges who he thinks should be ousted by the SJC.
The minister stood by his earlier allegations that at least 40 judges are “corrupt.” But he did not name them or offer any proof of the allegations.
Dismissals of judges have until now had to be backed by at least seven of the SJC’s ten members. Under a bill passed by the government-controlled parliament last months, five members will be enough to make such decisions.
The current acting head of the judicial watchdog, Gagik Jahangirian, is a controversial former prosecutor thought to be loyal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
In recent months Armenian opposition groups, lawyers and some judges have repeatedly accused the government of seeking to increase government influence on courts under the guise of judicial reforms. Pashinian and his political allies deny this.
