Russias First Female Supreme Court Chief Justice Irina Podnosova Passes Away at 72

Irina Podnosova, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Russia, has passed away at the age of 72, as reported by Russian media on Tuesday.

Podnosova, who took over as the head of the court in April 2024, succumbed to cancer according to a source cited by the business newspaper Kommersant. It was noted that she continued to fulfill her duties while receiving treatment.

She took over from Vyacheslav Lebedev, a long-serving Chief Justice who passed away in February 2024 after a lengthy illness, making Podnosova the first woman to hold this esteemed position. Lebedev had been at the helm of the court since 1989.

Following her death, Russia’s Supreme Court informed the state-run TASS news agency that Deputy Chief Justice Yuri Ivanenko would act as the interim chief justice.

Podnosova, who was a former classmate of President Vladimir Putin, was appointed by the upper house Federation Council based on the president’s recommendation. Chief Justices of the Supreme Court serve six-year terms.

After graduating from Leningrad State University in 1975, Podnosova started her judicial career in 1990 as a judge at the Luzhsky City Court in the Leningrad region. In 2020, she took on the role of Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and headed its Judicial Collegium for Economic Disputes.