In India, the lowest tier of the judiciary is recruited through competitive examinations held by the state’s high courts or public service commissions. Until 2002, there was a three-year experience requirement for applying to these positions. However, the Supreme Court decided to do away with the same, allowing recent graduates to apply for the judgeships. Examining the impacts of this change in the composition of district courts, it was found that the reform has lowered the age-at-entry of new judges by over 2.2 years, and improved women’s representation.
