Argentina's top courts operating with vacant seats, prompting crisis
The Supreme Court of the Nation is functioning with only three of its five magistrates, while the Supreme Court of the Province of Buenos Aires sits with just three of its seven members. Lawyers’ groups, led by the Colegio de Abogados de la Provincia de Buenos Aires and its president Rafael Gentili, warn that the “unprecedented disintegration” endangers the delivery of justice, legal doctrine, security, and public confidence.
The organisations urge the executive and legislative branches to promptly appoint qualified judges, stressing that filling the vacancies is a constitutional duty. They also criticize Decree 467/2026 for removing gender‑balanced participation mechanisms in the selection process, arguing it worsens the institutional crisis.
The call for urgent action frames the vacancy issue as a national emergency that threatens the effective functioning of Argentina’s highest judicial bodies.