Bill to let judges choose their own governing council members

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill, introduced by the VOX parliamentary group, would change how members of the General Council of the Judiciary (Consejo General del Poder Judicial) are chosen. It proposes that the twelve members drawn from the judiciary be elected by judges themselves, not by Congress and the Senate.
2. Those twelve members would be elected by personal, equal, direct and secret vote, in a single district covering the whole country. The election would have to be called three months before the Council's term ends.
3. New grounds for ineligibility would be added: candidates could not include anyone who was on an electoral list in the previous four years, anyone who served in Congress, the Senate, regional assemblies, local councils or the European Parliament in the previous term, or anyone who held a senior public office in the previous four years.
4. Members of the outgoing Council, staff of the Council's technical bodies, and members of the Electoral Board could not run either, with some exceptions. Outgoing Council members could not be reappointed in any case.
5. An Electoral Board made up of Supreme Court judges would be created to call and organize the elections, count the votes and announce the results. Its decisions could be appealed to the Supreme Court.
6. Article 570 bis, which regulated the Council's regime when it serves in a caretaker capacity, would be repealed. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette.

Who it affects

• Active judges and magistrates: They would elect the twelve judicial members of the Council and could run as candidates if they meet the requirements.
• Congress of Deputies and Senate: They would no longer choose the twelve judicial members; they would keep appointing the four jurist members assigned to each chamber, by a three-fifths majority.
• Lawyers and other legal professionals: They would remain the pool for the eight members proposed by the chambers, requiring more than fifteen years of professional practice.
• People linked to politics or senior public office: They could not run for the Council during the periods set out in the bill.

Words worth knowing

Consejo General del Poder Judicial (CGPJ)

The governing body of the Spanish judiciary: it handles appointments, promotions, inspections and discipline for judges.

Ley orgánica (organic law)

A type of Spanish law reserved for especially important matters, such as the organization of the judiciary, requiring a special majority to pass.

Vocales (council members)

Each of the twenty members who sit on the General Council of the Judiciary.

Junta Electoral (Electoral Board)

The body in charge of calling, organizing and overseeing the elections and announcing the results.

Circunscripción electoral (electoral district)

The territory within which candidates are elected; here it would be a single district for all of Spain.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries