[DR1] No magistrates for the provinces

[NewsWhore]

The Dominican Republic Supreme Court is operating at less-than-optimum levels because there is a major lack of qualified magistrates for positions in the provinces. Of some 200 candidates who took the test in order to fill the vacancies, only 25 passed. The court has decided "to operate with a deficit, rather than break the rules for judges' qualification." Supreme Court chief justice Jorge Subero Isa told reporters that the court has not been able to replace the judges who have left the service or who have retired. The Magistrates School, established under Law327-98, has created the requirements for magistrates around the country, and, by law, the candidates must now qualify in order to sit on the bench. According to Subero Isa, the School for Judges needs more space to prepare future magistrates, and this, too, limits the possibility of filling vacancies. Throughout the entire Cibao Valley, there are vacancies that are tying up the normal judicial processes, from traffic violations to issues corresponding to Justices of the Peace.

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