Indonesia's Constitutional Court was established in 2001 but did not open its office until August 2003. Palguna served his first term in the court's first batch of justices between 2003 and 2008. The court has nine judges: three selected by the president, three selected by the
Supreme Court and three selected by the
House of Representatives (DPR). Palguna was among the three judges elected by DPR Commission II on legal affairs on 14 August 2003. The DPR factions had come up with a list of 12 candidates after two withdrew from the race. Most votes went to
Jimly Asshiddiqie (nominated by
Golkar Party and the Reform Faction), then to retired general and long-time legislator Achmad Roestandi (nominated by the
United Development Party). Palguna, who was deputy secretary of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction in the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), was the third DPR candidate elected. At the age of 41, he was the youngest ever justice of the Constitutional Court. He has kept that record after the minimum age for Constitutional Court justices was later raised to 47. ==Second Constitutional Court term==