The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) concluded its assessments of 115 candidates to the positions of five Constitutional Court judges that are retiring this December 2023. Once the Constitutional Court has appointed its full 13 judges, the CNM will select the presiding judge of the court to replace retiring Milton Ray Guevara. The presiding judge can be appointed from among the five new judges or the eight remaining in their positions.
Constitutional law expert, Cristobal Rodriguez Gomez writes in Diario Libre that the presiding judge needs to be capable of strong leadership and with the talent to bring about consensus among the judges.
The Constitutional Court has admitted 8,634 cases of which 6,931 have been decided. The vote of two-thirds of the 13 judges is needed for the case decisions. The Constitutional Court rules on issues that affect political, economic and ideological interests.
The final round of 19 candidates of 115 aspirants took place on 6 December 2023. Candidate Amaury Amilcar Reyes Torres, son-in-law of National Council of Magistracy member, Attorney General Miriam German Brito, was interrogated by all the attending NCM members, after German Brito left the hall given her family ties to the aspirant.
In the present composition, 77% of the judges are men and 23% women.
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Acento – final session to choose judges
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7 December 2023