Judicial challenges to juvenile criminal law in Argentina

Judges in Buenos Aires are facing legal and political challenges following rulings that suspend or challenge the application of Law 27.801, a new Juvenile Criminal Regime that lowers the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14 years.

In mid-September, Judge Marta Pascual faced three impeachment requests in the Provincial Senate and a criminal complaint for alleged “usurpación funcional y abuso de autoridad” (functional usurpation and abuse of authority) after she issued a precautionary measure to halt the law's application for 60 days.

By late September, similar backlash emerged against Judge Laura De Marinis. After she declared the lower age of criminal responsibility unconstitutional, citing it as regressive regarding international human rights treaties, the Executive Branch promoted impeachment requests and the organization Usina de Justicia filed charges for prevarication. While government officials and certain legal groups have pushed for judicial accountability, human rights organizations such as the Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos (APDH) have defended the judges, arguing the actions are attempts to intimidate the judiciary and undermine the separation of powers.