ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday held its first session after the appointment of Judge Mundher Ibrahim Hussein as the new head of the top court and the resolution of its internal issues.

The Iraqi presidency issued on Thursday a formal decree to finalize the appointment of Hussein as the new head of the Federal Supreme Court, which was promptly followed by a swearing-in ceremony before President Abdul Latif Rashid.

The top court’s work was halted in June after nine judges resigned due to political disagreements, including over the disputed Khor Abdullah waterway between Iraq and Kuwait, with the court having annulled the law ratifying an agreement between the two countries relating to the tidal channel due to the “unconstitutionality of the parliament's vote,” saying the process was held without the two-thirds majority needed to vote on international agreements.

The judges claimed that they had faced political pressure as a result of their decision.

Following the resignations, former Federal Supreme Court Chief Judge Jassim al-Umairi requested retirement for health reasons.

The Supreme Judicial Council approved his retirement in late June, and nominated a replacement. According to a statement, the committee responsible for appointments under Article 3 of the amended Federal Supreme Court Law No. 30 of 2005 agreed to retire Umairi and selected Judge Hussein, deputy president of the Federal Court of Cassation, to replace him.

The nine judges later rescinded their resignations upon Hussein's appointment.

The court reviewed three cases during its first session, according to the agenda published by the top court on its official website, with another session set to take place on Wednesday that will investigate a separate case.

Hawri Tawfiq, director of international relations and organizations at the Iraqi presidency, told The New Region in late June that “all issues within the court have been resolved and sessions will restart next week.”

He said the first session was expected to focus on the salaries of public employees in the Kurdistan Region. Before the recent resignations, the court had planned to meet and issue a temporary order on the matter; the salary issues, however, were not present on the top court’s agenda.

Judge Hussein was born in Baghdad in 1963. He earned a law degree from the University of Baghdad in 1989 and graduated from the Judicial Institute in 1998.

Since 2018, he has served in the Federal Cassation Court and leads the court’s criminal chamber. Hussein was also a reserve member of the Federal Supreme Court prior to his recent appointment as chief.