Civil society organizations have requested the National Council of the Judiciary to convene a thematic, public, and participatory hearing to debate projects to reform the regulations for judicial selection, according to a formal presentation. Civil society organizations sent a request to the council's members to call for a public hearing before the initiatives aimed at reforming the mechanisms for selecting judges are addressed. The objective is to guarantee citizen participation and allow actors from the judicial system and specialized entities to contribute to improving the process. The request is based on the Council's own 'Public Hearing Regulations' (Resolution CM No. 247/2000), which authorize these instances when dealing with decisions of institutional relevance, such as the selection of magistrates. The request comes on the eve of a joint meeting of the Magistrate Selection and Regulation Commissions, convened to begin the analysis of various projects, including one prepared by the Nation's Supreme Court of Justice. In the document, accessed by the Argentine News Agency, the organizations stated that the current system presents structural flaws, such as delays in proceedings, wide margins of discretion, and a lack of transparency, which can lead to the selection of candidates who are not always the most suitable. Therefore, they argued that judicial competitions are a key point to guarantee the quality of justice administration and the independence of the Judicial Branch, and considered it necessary to have a broad and robust debate before approving a new regulation. They also highlighted that various entities have been preparing diagnoses and improvement proposals in recent years, so they stressed the importance of creating an institutional forum to channel those contributions. Finally, they requested that the hearing be organized in a format that ensures effective, oral, and open participation, in accordance with the standards of the Supreme Court's case law and international human rights instruments on participation in public affairs. The presentation was signed by representatives of organizations such as the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal and Social Sciences (INECIP) and the Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ).
