The Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) continues silently and without providing details on the creation of four new appeal rooms. However, these are part of a plan that seeks, in the short term, to consolidate 70 cuts of appeals.
During the last process of postulation commissions for the renewal of the Judiciary, the commissioners informed the Congress about the need to choose magistrates to integrate 52 Appeals rooms.
With the announcement that the CSJ made this week through a statement, four new rooms were reported on the creation of four: in Progress, Suchitepéquez, Totonicapán and Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango. This raises the number of criminal halls to 56.
The decision has generated debate between deputies and analysts specialized in Constitutional Law and Justice, since, although it is a power of the judicial body (OJ) to create new judicures, the election of its magistrates is the exclusive competence of Congress.
The 33-2025 act of the CSJ exposes how the magistrates voted for the appointment of those who will integrate these new judicities, moving to vocals holding to serve as substitutes as substitutes as regular vowels.
In that same document, Teódulo Cifuentes, president of the CSJ, reported to the Plenary that another 14 rooms are sought. If completed, the total would amount to 70 cuts of appeals nationwide.
Although the apparent invasion of powers by the CSJ in the designation of magistrates has been public, the OJ has not issued a position regarding the creation of the new Courts of Appeals.
These rooms are second -instance courts, responsible for confirming, modifying or annuling the decisions issued by courts or courts. The appointments in these spaces are subject to inspection, since resolutions can influence ongoing criminal proceedings, according to experts.
2017 agreement
From Congress, some deputies have stated that the CSJ cannot appoint magistrates, because that is an exclusive attribution of the Plenary of Congress.
The president of Parliament, Nery Ramos, offered this week a press conference, in which he pointed out that, once the judicial career council notifies them, they have 15 days to comply with the election, emphasizing that this is an exclusive task of the legislative.
It is not the first time that Congress must choose magistrates for the creation of new rooms. This task was already fulfilled by the Legislative when he was headed by the former deputy and former president of the Oscar Chinchilla Congress.
Legislative Agreement 33-2017 establishes the legal and constitutional bases for which Congress is the only body responsible for appointing magistrates.
On that occasion, Congress had to choose new magistrates for resignations and for the creation of new rooms, as is the case now in 2025. However, so far, the OJ has not notified Congress on this matter.