US EditionGuatemala’s new Constitutional Court faces a tough test to win back public trust
The new court, with four female magistrates, aims to restore trust after controversial rulings that critics say protected corrupt officials, including former President Otto Pérez Molina.
- Wednesday's selections finalized Guatemala's new Constitutional Court with Gladys Annabella Morfín and alternate María Magdalena Jocholá; four of five magistrates will be women and the court will seat in April.
- Critics point to rulings by the outgoing Constitutional Court that protected people alleged to have ties to drug trafficking or corruption, including upholding former President Otto Pérez Molina's release after 2021 magistrate changes.
- Multiple institutions selected magistrates, with the Supreme Court of Justice, Congress, University of San Carlos and the country's bar association each choosing a magistrate and an alternate who steps in for conflicts or seven-magistrate cases.
- As the nation's top tribunal, the Constitutional Court's final decisions will determine if it restores public confidence, especially through its handling of controversial decisions, experts say.
- Elected on a five‑year cycle, the court's composition means four of the court's 10 magistrates return, and observers say they must stabilize the court to restore public trust and aid the battle against corruption.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Associated Press News
Guatemala’s new Constitutional Court faces a tough test to win back public trust
Guatemala’s newly selected Constitutional Court needs to rebuild public trust after years of rulings that critics say protect powerful interests.
Guatemala concluded Wednesday the renewal of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the Central American country, a court that in recent years, according to experts, has had more power than the three bodies that govern the State (executive, judicial and legislative).With the final composition, according to the vision of various analysts, President Bernardo Arévalo de León has a minority and the opposition has a majority, since only two o…
Lawyers and experts on constitutional issues agreed that it is necessary to restore the confidence of the population in the justice system in Guatemala, after the Constitutional Court (CC), the highest judicial body in the country, has been formed for the next five years.
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