Judges Warn Final Stage of Bolaños Law in Jeopardy

Judges are worried about the final stage of a new law, known as the Bolaños Law, which will bring new First Instance Courts into operation in provincial capitals and other areas with many cases. Senior judges from the affected regions, including Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, released a statement this Wednesday. They are asking for more time to restructure the courts and warn that a lack of resources "may jeopardize" the proper functioning of these services.

The deadline for completing this major overhaul of the judicial system, the biggest in decades, is December 31st this year. However, the judges who signed the statement say they are not ready. This law, officially called the Organic Law on the Efficiency of the Public Justice Service, is converting single-judge courts into First Instance Courts. Its first two stages have already been implemented in judicial districts with fewer cases. The law has also given more powers to Gender Violence Courts, which have now started handling all crimes against sexual freedom.

The senior judges expressed their "concern" about how the changes are being implemented and the "short timeframe" set for completion. The third and final phase is the most worrying because it involves the courts that handle the highest number of legal disputes, and will therefore impact many ongoing cases.

"With less than two months before the scheduled date to implement the new organizational model designed by the legislator, in large cities, we do not have all the resources nor sufficient planning to guarantee its effectiveness, which may jeopardize the proper provision of public service to the detriment of citizens and affected professionals," the statement warns.

According to the judges, they have worked with the various government bodies involved to ensure the new system could be effectively activated. However, they currently lack "the internal organizational design for the Common Services that will integrate each court's judicial office, the distribution of tasks among staff, and the designation of directors and area managers who must lead the implementation."

Specifically, they complain about a lack of resources such as adjusting judicial positions to match the volume of cases, combining court locations, a digital filing system for all legal areas, suitable new physical spaces, and adapted case management systems. They demand that "an analysis of the problems detected in the already implemented Courts should be carried out and, if applicable, appropriate measures adopted for their correction."

The document was also signed by other senior judges and the head judge of the central courts at the National High Court. In the Canary Islands, judicial representatives from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Arrecife (Lanzarote) also signed the statement.