Spanish judicial appointment processes

The Spanish judiciary has undergone several processes regarding the appointment of high-level judicial officials.

In early September, the Governing Chamber of the Audiencia Nacional endorsed seven magistrates as candidates for the Supreme Court. This action followed a request from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) to fill three vacancies in the Supreme Court’s Second Chamber. The endorsed candidates, including the senior magistrate Vicente Manuel Rouco Rodríguez, were noted for having performed their duties satisfactorily without any sanctions or unfavorable marks.

Following this, the Council of Europe endorsed the Spanish government’s procedure for appointing a judge to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). An expert committee from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe determined that the selection process “adjusts completely” to European regulations. The Assembly is set to interview three candidates—Luis Jimena Quesada, Ana María Salinas de Frías, and Daniel Sarmiento Ramírez-Escudero—to select a titular judge. The Ministry of Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Courts defended the 2020 selection procedure as being “more independent” due to the inclusion of a judicial career representative and a legal expert, addressing previous criticisms regarding judicial independence standards.