The Supreme Court of Justice moved towards modifying the system for selecting judges in Argentina, with the stated objective of reducing discretion and prioritizing merit in judicial contests. Through an agreement signed by Carlos Rosenkrantz and Ricardo Lorenzetti, the highest court established a new regulation that has already been sent to the Judicial Council
for analysis.
The initiative is framed in a context of strong questioning on the part of the body to the current selection mechanism, where they have pointed out the lack of transparency and the excessive weight of subjective instances, especially personal interviews. In this regard, the Court raised the need to ensure that suitability and academic training are the central criteria for defining future judges
. Horacio Rosatti, member of the CSJN and president of the Judicial Council.
The new scheme proposes structural changes in the process. Among them, a greater assessment of academic performance and professional background stands out, to the detriment of the bureaucratic journey within the judicial system. In addition, it seeks to introduce clearer and more predictable rules for interviews, reducing their influence on the final result of the contests
.
One of the most important points is the intention to limit the margins of arbitrariness that, according to the Court itself, have in some cases distorted the order of merit of the applicants. The agreement highlights the need to establish objective criteria that prevent discretionary decisions from altering the results of the contests
.
The project also incorporates technical modifications. It is planned to digitalize the registration process, the implementation of systems that guarantee anonymity in evaluations and a new exam structure divided into stages, including general knowledge tests and resolution of
practical cases. It
is also proposed to create two types of contests: early and special. The former will work as a general rule and will fill planned vacancies, while the latter will be used in exceptional situations. This organization aims to improve planning and streamline the coverage of judicial charges
.
Another significant change is the reduction in the weight of the personal interview, which will now have a limited score and must be carried out publicly, with audiovisual transmission and open access to citizens. The measure seeks to increase transparency in one of the most questioned instances of the system
. Juan Bautista Mahiques confirmed the sending of 62 documents to the Congress.
In parallel, the national Government continues to send documents to Congress to fill vacancies, in a process that seeks to normalize the functioning of the Judiciary and limit its long response times. In this context, the Minister of Justice, Juan Bautista Mahiques, confirmed that the formal process has already begun to send the first 62 lists of judges, prosecutors, defenders and co-judges to the Senate
.
Thus, both the initiative of the Supreme Court and the Government's progress in sending specifications reflect the need for substantive discussions on the functioning of the judicial system. In both cases, the search for greater transparency, the reduction of arbitrariness and the improvement of responses to the population appears as the axis
