On 31 December 1994, the next term of lay judges in ordinary courts and members of misdemeanour boards nationwide will come to an end. At its October session, the Municipal Council in Bolesławiec elected 119 lay judges of the District Court in Bolesławiec, 11 additional District Court lay judges to adjudicate in labour-law cases (nominated by trade unions), and 10 nominated by the local general administration authority, as well as 35 members of the Misdemeanour Board at the District Court and 7 lay judges of the Voivodeship Court in Jelenia Góra. The list of candidates for lay judges of the District Court aroused the most emotion: as many as 17 people failed to win the approval of the municipal councillors.
The conclusion is obvious: merely wishing to fulfil a social mandate that carries exceptional responsibility is not enough. Additional moral and professional qualifications, recognition in one’s community, and consistency between words and deeds are needed. The era of “cranks” has passed into the wind of history.