Constitutional Foundations and the Structure of the Judicial System
Core concepts
A candidate must command the constitutional architecture of the Bulgarian judiciary. Understand the separation of powers under the Constitution, the status of the Supreme Judicial Council as the body that appoints, promotes, transfers and dismisses magistrates, and the distinction between the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Supreme Administrative Court, the appellate and district courts, and the prosecution service. Know the principle that justice is administered in the name of the people, the constitutional guarantees of judicial independence and irremovability, and the role of the Minister of Justice in organizational matters. Private bailiffs sit at the boundary between judicial power and private profession; questions test whether you know they are appointed by the Minister of Justice, not elected or appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council.
Traps
Questions blur the competencies of the Supreme Judicial Council versus the Minister of Justice. Another classic trap confuses the Supreme Court of Cassation's role in uniform case law with the Supreme Administrative Court's. Watch for statements treating bailiffs as civil servants (they are not) or as part of the court apparatus (they are private persons exercising public functions).
Rule of thumb
Ask: does the act concern the career of a magistrate (Supreme Judicial Council) or the organizational and material framework of a profession (Minister of Justice)? That single question resolves most constitutional/organizational items.