Three Supreme Court Justices were not confirmed as the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) moves forward to appoint new judges starting Monday, 6 October 2025.
President Luis Abinader would appear to be on the way to increase his influence in the Supreme Court of Justice. At present most of its justices were elected during the days of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) hegemony of former President Danilo Medina.
The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) decided on Friday, 3 October 2025 to not extend the terms of three Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) judges who had sought to remain in their posts after completing their first seven-year term.
Justices Pilar Jiménez Ortiz, Manuel Alexis Read, and Moisés Ferrer will not continue in their roles, a decision made public after the performance evaluation phase concluded under the leadership of President Luis Abinader.
The announcement was made at a press conference by Nancy Salcedo, CNM member and secretary, alongside the Executive Branch’s Legal Consultant, Antoliano Peralta.
CNM member Salcedo emphasized that the full justifications for the decision “are contained in the official CNM act, which will be published on the institutional website for the knowledge of the Dominican population.”
El Caribe reported that during the 3 October 2025 vote, the President —who also serves as president of the National Council of the Magistracy— resorted to his qualified (tie-breaking) vote to break a deadlock regarding the removal of two Supreme Court justices. The two judges had received four votes in favor of remaining and four against.
According to the Organic Law of the National Council of the Magistracy, the President of the Republic has the authority to cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie.
Article 14 of Law 1-25, which amended Law 138-11, states:
“Decisions of the National Council of the Magistracy shall be valid with the favorable vote of at least five of its members present at the meeting. In the event of a tie, the President’s qualified vote shall decide.”
The move immediately triggers the next, critical phase of the judicial selection process. The CNM announced it will publish the call for applications on Monday, 6 October 2025. The call is to fill the newly created vacancies on the SCJ, as well as for the five judges and five alternates of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE). The terms for the TSE members concluded in July 2025.
This second phase will be public and open to candidates who meet the requirements established by law. The entire process, which began on the second of this month, is scheduled to culminate with the swearing-in of the new judges on 28 November 2025.
The departures of Jiménez Ortiz, Read, and Ferrer add to existing vacancies on the SCJ: the one left by Justice Napoleón Estévez, who moved to the Constitutional Court presidency in 2024, and the one created by Blas R. Fernández, who chose not to seek reappointment. Estevez was chosen in the CNM presided over by President Abinader.
Combined with the 10 posts on the TSE (five judges and five alternates), the CNM now faces the task of appointing a total of 13 high-court magistrates.
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Hoy
El Caribe
DR1 News
6 October 2025