The National Council of the Magistracy chose judge Napoleón Estevez Lavandier to preside the Constitutional Court. Estevez Lavandier has been in the news in recent years because he is the Supreme Court of Justice choice for special investigative judge to hear the cases of three legislators accused of being part of drug trafficking networks, the Operación Falcon file and the case of accusations of ties to drug trafficking of deputy Rosa Amalia Pilarte López.
Diario Libre shares his background with readers:
Estevez Lavandier is a graduate in law from the state Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).
He has a master’s degree in constitutional law and constitutional procedure. He has completed a postgraduate degree in civil law at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD); a postgraduate degree in civil procedural law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), where he has taught the subject of guarantee law since 2008.
In addition, he is the author of the publications: “Law No. 834 of 1978 Commented and Annotated”, published in 2004 and republished in 2008, 2012 and 2017; “Index of Civil Jurisprudence (1998-2005); “The Dominican Civil Appeal” (2015); “The Dominican Civil Cassation” (2010); “Supreme Powers: Privileged Criminal Jurisdiction and Criminal Review Appeal” (2012); “Law of credit securities and guarantees” (2013).
He is a partner of the law firm Staff Legal, S.R.L., and was a founding partner of the law firm Stephen & Estévez, Abogados Consultores, S.R.L., specializing in Civil, Business and Criminal Litigation.
He was elected Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) judge on 4 April 2019.
Diario Libre observes that Estévez Lavandier has been a critical judge. The newspaper writes: “Last year he expressed his concern about the decline he has observed in the service of the judiciary. He has criticized the complexity of citizen processes and the alleged bureaucracy in the high court.”
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
13 December 2023