Priit Pikamäe (born 22 November 1973) is an Estonian lawyer who has been the President of the Supreme Court of Estonia in 2013-2019 and now serves as an Advocate-General of the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Un ...

Early life and education

Priit Pikamäe was born on 22 November 1973 in the Estonian capital of

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

where he finished elementary and high school. He graduated law from the Faculty of Law of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

, after studying in the faculties of law of the French universities of

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

and

Paris I Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Pikamäe gained his PhD from the same University in 2006.

Career

In 1994, Pikamäe became Head of Legal Department of the Estonian Citizenship and Immigration Board. In 1995 he was employed in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

and since 1996 in the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

where he also works today. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked as a part-time assistant at the Tartu Faculty of Law. In 2005, Pikamäe was appointed a judge in Tallinn City Court (presently Harju County Court) before moving on to the Tallinn Circuit Court. In 2006, the

Supreme Court of Estonia The Supreme Court of Estonia ( et, Riigikohus) is the court of last resort in Estonia. It is both a court of cassation and a constitutional court. The courthouse is in Tartu. History During the first independence period (1919-1940) With the F ...

elected him as its judge. Between 2010 and 2013, he was Chairman of the Court's Criminal Chamber. In May 2013, Pikamäe was unanimously elected as the new Chief Justice by the

Estonian Parliament The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...

on the proposal of President

Toomas Hendrik Ilves Toomas Hendrik Ilves (; born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the ...

. His 9-year term began on 13 September 2013 and would have ended in 2022. However, in 2019, the Estonian government nominated him to the post of Advocate General of the

. In addition, he is a guest professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu, where he teaches penal law: criminal procedure and imprisonment law.

Personal life

Priit Pikamäe is married and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pikamäe, Priit 1973 births Living people 21st-century Estonian judges University of Tartu alumni Politicians from Tallinn Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd Class 21st-century Estonian politicians