Council of Magistrates of the Nation
Encyclopedia
The Council of Magistrates of the Nation is an organ of the Judicial Branch of the Government
of Argentina
. It is in charge of appointing judges, of presenting charges against them to an Accusation Jury, and of suspending or deposing them.
The Council was created by Law 25669 of the Argentine National Congress
in 2002, and it originally had 20 members:
In 2006 the Council was reformed, with a reduction in the number of members from 20 to 13: six legislators, three judges, two lawyers, one academic and the representative of the Executive Branch (and no representative of the Supreme Court). The reform met considerable opposition, since the reduction turned the Council into a more politically partisan body, and at the time left it with a total of five members of the Justicialist Party
(the majority in both Houses of Congress, with four members in the Council, plus the representative of the Executive).
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, functioning within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in both the...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It is in charge of appointing judges, of presenting charges against them to an Accusation Jury, and of suspending or deposing them.
The Council was created by Law 25669 of the Argentine National Congress
Argentine National Congress
The Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
in 2002, and it originally had 20 members:
- The president of the Supreme Court of JusticeSupreme Court of ArgentinaThe Supreme Court of Argentina is the highest court of law of the Argentine Republic. It was inaugurated on 15 January 1863. However, during much of the 20th century, the Court and, in general, the Argentine judicial system, has lacked autonomy from the executive power...
. - Four national judges, elected through the D'Hondt methodD'Hondt methodThe d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. - Eight legislators: four DeputiesArgentine Chamber of DeputiesThe Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
and four SenatorsArgentine SenateThe Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
, in each case corresponding two for the majority party, one for the first minority and one for the second minority. - Four lawyers with a federal license, elected by other federal lawyers.
- One representative of the Executive Branch.
- Two representatives of the scientific and academic fields, elected by their peers.
In 2006 the Council was reformed, with a reduction in the number of members from 20 to 13: six legislators, three judges, two lawyers, one academic and the representative of the Executive Branch (and no representative of the Supreme Court). The reform met considerable opposition, since the reduction turned the Council into a more politically partisan body, and at the time left it with a total of five members of the Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
(the majority in both Houses of Congress, with four members in the Council, plus the representative of the Executive).