Bill would let judges choose the judicial members of the CGPJ

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would change how the twelve judicial members of the General Council of the Judiciary (Consejo General del Poder Judicial) are chosen: they would be elected by judges and magistrates themselves, not by Parliament. The Council would keep twenty members: twelve judges or magistrates and eight jurists elected by the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.
2. The proposal responds to a mandate from Organic Law 3/2024, which asked the Council for a reform proposal approved by three fifths of its members. Since that majority was not reached, the Council sent two options, and the Government has not pushed for the change, according to the explanatory statement.
3. The judicial election would use a single district for all of Spain, in-person or mail voting, a single ballot with an open list, and limited voting for a maximum of eight candidates. Each candidate would need twenty endorsements from judges or the endorsement of a judicial association.
4. Balanced representation of women and men would be guaranteed: at least 40% of each sex among both the twelve judicial members and the eight jurists elected by the Chambers.
5. An Electoral Board made up of Supreme Court magistrates would be created to organize the election, handle complaints, and proclaim the winners. That proclamation could be challenged before the Supreme Court.
6. The new system would apply from the call for the renewal, three months before the current Council's term expires. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette.

Who it affects

• Judges and magistrates: They would elect the twelve judicial members of the Council and could run as candidates or endorse them.
• Congress of Deputies and Senate: They would keep electing the eight jurist members by a three-fifths majority, but would no longer take part in choosing the judge members.
• Judicial associations: They could present a full slate of twelve candidates or endorse up to eight individual candidates.
• General Council of the Judiciary: It would have to approve the electoral rules by a three-fifths majority and provide support and resources for the whole process.

Words worth knowing

Vocal

A member of the General Council of the Judiciary, the body that governs Spanish judges.

Tres quintos (three fifths)

A reinforced majority: three out of every five members of a Chamber must vote in favor.

Turno judicial y turno de juristas (judicial and jurist tracks)

The two ways to become a Council member: coming from the judicial career or being a jurist of recognized competence.

Avales (endorsements)

Support signatures from other judges or magistrates that a candidate needs to run.

Recurso contencioso-administrativo

A court appeal used to challenge decisions by public authorities.

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