The strong pro-life position of aspirant Cecilia Inmaculada Badía reportedly marked the beginning of the hearings to replace five retiring judges of the Constitutional Court, including the president of the court, Milton Ray Guevara. The aspirant seemed to imply in her responses that abortions can happen covertly, while not overtly. The aspiring judge defended the total ban on abortions, yet revealed that in the Dominican Republic no physician has yet been tried for committing an abortion. She called for the present status to continue.
There are 115 contenders for the position. On Monday, 16 candidates sat by questioning by the members of the National Council of the Magistracy. The CNM needs to select the judges that will begin their 12-year terms on 28 December 2023.
The members of the CNM are: President Luis Abinader, the president of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos Polanco; the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco; senator Bautista Rojas (Fuerza del Pueblo); deputy Víctor Fadul (Dominican Liberation Party); the president of the Supreme Court of Justice Luis Henry Molina; and Supreme Court of Justice judge Nancy Salcedo and Attorney General Miriam German.
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El Dia
Diario Libre
28 November 2023