Nine members of Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court, including six main and three reserve judges, submitted their resignations on Thursday in protest against Chief Justice Jassim al-Umairi, throwing a planned session on the Kurdistan Region’s public servant salaries into uncertainty.

The mass resignation came hours before the court was set to hear a case filed by Kurdish civil servants demanding an injunction to force the federal government to resume their salary payments, which have been suspended since late May.

A resigning judge, speaking anonymously to Rudaw, cited Chief Justice al-Umairi’s “unacceptable behavior” and exhausting working style as the reason for the walkout. Among those who stepped down was a Kurdish judge affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The court, which consists of nine main and four reserve members, now faces a legitimacy crisis, as the resignations leave it without a quorum to proceed with critical rulings.

The resignations escalate tensions between Erbil and Baghdad, which have been locked in a financial dispute since the federal finance ministry halted all budget transfers to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in late May. The move affected over 1.2 million public sector employees, with Baghdad claiming the KRG exceeded its 12.67% share of the 2025 federal budget.

Kurdish political parties have condemned the suspension as politically motivated and unconstitutional, accusing the federal government of using salaries as leverage in ongoing disputes over oil and budget autonomy.

Soran Omar, a Kurdish lawmaker from the Komal Party, questioned the timing of the resignations, stating, “The judges cite problems with the court president, but the real reason remains unclear.”

The KRG has yet to issue an official response, but the resignations have raised concerns over further delays in resolving the salary crisis, leaving thousands of Kurdish employees in financial limbo.

With the court’s functionality in doubt, pressure mounts on the Iraqi government and Kurdish authorities to find a political solution. Analysts warn that prolonged salary suspensions could deepen unrest in the Kurdistan Region, where public sector workers have already staged protests over unpaid wages.