Judges in Spain Refuse to Work
In the heart of Spanish politics, a significant battle is unfolding between the government and the judiciary over a controversial judicial reform. The reform, spearheaded by Pedro Sánchez's progressive coalition, aims to modernize the judicial system, improve efficiency, and combat corruption.
The ideological leaning of Spanish judges is predominantly conservative, with three out of four national judges’ associations identified as conservative. The largest association, the Asociación Profesional de la Magistratura, wields significant influence over judicial policymaking in Spain. This conservative leaning contributes to an ongoing polarization within the Spanish judiciary, including the Constitutional Court, where judges increasingly split into progressive and conservative camps, reflecting broader political divisions in Spain.
The reform includes measures to address economic inequality in the judicial recruitment process. It establishes grants for candidates with less economic resources, converts a public organ into one that also deals with education and preparation of judicial candidates, and introduces practical exercises, anonymous tests, and the recording of oral exams. However, the predominantly conservative judiciary may resist changes perceived as threatening their influence.
The reform also aims to open the door for around 1,000 substitute judges to become permanent ones, a measure that has faced significant opposition from various sectors. The approval of the amnesty law, a crucial part of the deal that formed the current coalition government, has been interpreted by parts of the Spanish judiciary, particularly its most conservative section, as a felony and an act of treason.
The Spanish judges' strike is unusual because it is linked to an amnesty law. The Spanish judges' governing body, the Consejo General del Poder Judicial, declared by unanimity that judges cannot exercise the right to strike. Despite this, demonstrations against the current reform of the Spanish judiciary have taken place before the Spanish Supreme Court in Madrid, led by unidentified judges.
The amnesty law grants amnesty for acts linked to the consultation held in Catalonia on November 9, 2014, and the referendum of October 1, 2017. These events marked the beginning of the independence process in Catalonia, which has since been a significant factor in the political landscape of Spain. Catalonia's political life has been normalized in the Sánchez years, resulting in the Catalan socialist party winning the latest regional election and the current President of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia being a socialist.
The recent corruption scandals affecting the Spanish socialist party may compromise the life of the current coalition. The Spanish amnesty law was promulgated on June 10, 2024, and is one of the most important commitments of the current government. On June 26, 2025, the Spanish Constitutional Court declared the Spanish amnesty law constitutional.
The future may hold the opportunity to approve a reform that would make the Spanish judiciary more egalitarian and open to different strata of Spanish society. The ongoing reforms are a source of contention, reflecting a broader ideological tension between the conservative judiciary and the progressive executive aimed at judicial modernization and corruption prevention.
- Despite the conservative majority within the Spanish judiciary, the ongoing reform aims to address economic inequality and modernize the judicial system, which could potentially lead to a more egalitarian judiciary.
- The protests against the current reform of the Spanish judiciary, such as the Spanish judges' strike and demonstrations before the Constitutional Court, indicate a growing polarization between the conservative judiciary and the progressive executive striving for reform and combating corruption.
