Decree names first female advocate general and dozens of magistrates

A decree signed on 21 August 2026 and published in the Journal officiel de la République française n°0196 of 23 August 2026 carries out a major renewal of the French judiciary. Issued by the Ministère de la justice under the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the garde des sceaux, the text appoints Maud MOREL-COUJARD as the first avocate générale at the Cour de cassation and promotes dozens of magistrates across the courts of appeal and judicial tribunals.

The decree (NOR JUSB2618375D) is one of the largest single appointment waves of the year, touching nearly every court of appeal in the country — from Paris, Versailles, Bobigny and Marseille to Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes and the overseas courts of Basse-Terre, Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Papeete and Saint-Denis de La Réunion. Most appointments take effect immediately, with several timed for the start of the judicial year on 1 September 2026.

A historic first at the Cour de cassation

The decree’s centrepiece is the appointment of Maud MOREL-COUJARD as première avocate générale at the Cour de cassation, the first woman to hold that rank in the highest French court. She is joined at the court by Nicolas RENUCCI, appointed avocat général référendaire.

Renewal across the courts of appeal

The text fills presidencies, chamber presidencies and general-prosecutor posts across the country. Among the notable moves:

• Vincent ALDEANO-GALIMARD and Chantal COMBEAU become présidents de chambre at the Paris court of appeal, both coming from the Mamoudzou chamber of appeal.
• Thomas CASSUTO, Pascal LACORD and Gérald BEGRANGER are appointed to the chambre de l’instruction of the Paris court of appeal.
• Bénédicte DELGOVE takes the presidency of the chambre de l’instruction at Versailles, and Valérie MESSER-PIN at Besançon.
• Jean-Marc TOUBLANC, Benoist HUREL and Jérôme MARILLY become présidents de chambre at Versailles.
• Laurent GUMBAU and Frédéric KOCHER are named avocats généraux at Aix-en-Provence, with Sophie MACQUART-MOULIN at Versailles and Gaëlle BARDOSSE at Amiens.

Key posts in investigation and counter-terrorism

Several appointments target the sensitive investigation and counter-terrorism functions of the Paris judicial tribunal. Nicolas BRACONNAY, first vice-procureur de la République antiterroriste, is promoted to substitut du procureur général at the Paris court of appeal, while Léa OBADIA is named vice-procureure de la République antiterroriste. On the organised-crime side, Aurélien LETOCART becomes procureur de la République adjoint anticriminalité organisée, Cristina MAURO première vice-procureure anticriminalité organisée, and Amélie DJAOUDO vice-procureure anticriminalité organisée.

The decree also fills instruction posts across the country, including Pauline BIAIS, Nicolas BOUVIER-LACROIX, Sarah GALIBERT and Stéphanie VACHER as vice-présidents chargés de l’instruction at Paris, Jean-Patrick MESLOT at Agen, Antoine ADAM at Beauvais, Claire DE AGOSTINI at Montauban, and Wendy THY-TINE and Elisa WEGBECHER at Saint-Denis de La Réunion.

A renewal timed for the September term

The wave is deliberately aligned with the judicial rentrée: several appointments take effect on 1 September 2026, including the new premiers substituts and substitutes at the central administration of the Ministère de la justice and the new inspecteur de la justice, Luc DIER. Article 2 of the decree grants the dispense provided for in articles L. 111-10, L. 111-11 and R. 111-3 of the code de l’organisation judiciaire to Anne-Claire BOURDON, Ludovic PILLING, Jérôme BOYER and Agnès BOYER.

For litigants and legal professionals, the scale of this renewal means new faces at the head of many chambers and prosecution offices as the courts reopen in September. The appointment of a woman to the rank of première avocate générale at the Cour de cassation marks a notable step in the composition of France’s highest court.

Source: Journal officiel de la République française, n°0196, 23 August 2026, section I (official reference: NOR JUSB2618375D).