How are promotions and assignments decided for judges in civil-law systems?

In civil-law systems, judges are typically career civil servants who enter the judiciary after passing a competitive examination upon graduating from law school. Unlike common-law systems, where judges are often appointed or elected from the ranks of experienced private practitioners, a civil-law judge begins their career at a low-level court and works their way up a judicial ladder.123

Promotions and assignments for these judges are determined by:

• Councils of senior judges: These bodies evaluate a judge's performance to determine their advancement and placement.12
• Ministers of justice: In some jurisdictions, the minister of justice holds the authority to make these decisions, though the exercise of this power may vary in terms of merit-based objectivity.12

This structure ensures that the path to judicial success is highly formalized, with judges remaining in service until retirement with a government pension.12