THE SUPREME COURT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC ON THE OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE ORAL REASONS FOR A JUDGMENT UPON ITS PRONOUNCEMENT
The Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic examined the procedural consequences of a court publicly pronouncing a judgment without providing oral reasons in its decision R 42/2026.
In its decision in Case No. 6Cdo/119/2023 of 27 March 2025, published in the Collection of Opinions of the Supreme Court and Decisions of the Courts of the Slovak Republic as R 42/2026, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic addressed the procedural consequences of a situation in which a court publicly pronounces only the operative part of its judgment without providing oral reasons for its decision.
The Supreme Court concluded that the complete absence of oral reasoning when pronouncing a judgment constitutes a fundamental procedural defect under Section 420(f) of the Civil Dispute Procedure Code. This defect cannot be remedied by the court subsequently preparing and serving on the parties a written judgment containing proper reasoning.
The decision is particularly significant from the perspective of the parties' right to a fair trial and further clarifies the importance of the court's obligation to provide reasons for its judgment at the time of its public pronouncement.