The State Council General Assembly on Sunday named Ghebrial Abdel Malak the new council chairman for the judicial year starting 1 October.
Abdel Malak, chosen by 86.7 percent of eligible senior judges, is the third Coptic figure to fill the post, after Hanna Nashed and Nabil Merhem.
The State Council, established in 1946, is one of Egypt's five oldest judicial institutions, which also include the Court of Cassation, the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Administrative Prosecution and the State Lawsuits Authority.
Outgoing chairman Abdallah Abdel Moez will retire on 29 August after reaching the official retirement age.
Abdel Malak was born in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag in 1942. He graduated from the Cairo University Faculty of Law in 1964 and was appointed as an assistant in the State Council.
In 1967, Abdel Malak obtained two diplomas, in criminal studies and general law. He advanced through judicial ranks before eventually becoming council chairman.
