This fact is key: with two vacancies still unfilled, rulings require unanimity from the three sitting judges. In the case known as "la Ruta del Dinero K," for example, when Rosenkrantz proposed consulting the Attorney General, it was necessary to summon two substitute judges. Even so, the defendants were unable to avoid conviction. Moreover, six of them ended up in custody.
The Supreme Court's ruling
After her nomination was confirmed by the Third Electoral Section of the province of Buenos Aires, ahead of the local elections on September 7, Cristina Kirchner now faces two decisive dates: on July 9 the deadline for alliance registration expires, and on the 19th the candidate lists are made official.
This means that the Supreme Court still has more than a month to issue a ruling in the Vialidad case. Although in other circumstances this period might seem short, a judicial source closely following the case described it as "an eternity" given the significance of the case.
In the judicial world, some recent moves in the political arena are interpreted as signals that could anticipate an imminent decision by the highest court regarding the former president's situation. Among them, criticism of the Court for operating with only three judges and the introduction of a bill by an opposition senator to expand the number of members to seven stand out.
If the Court upholds the conviction against her, the former president would not be able to take a seat as a deputy. The sentence includes six years in prison (which she would serve under house arrest) and permanent disqualification from holding public office.
