The Council of Ministers today approved the creation of the Court of First Instance Number 13 of Santander, within the framework of a Royal Decree that establishes the creation of a total of seventy judicial units corresponding to the programming of 2023, and that also entails the adaptation of the judicial plant.

The objective of this measure, approved on the proposal of the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cores, is to channel the foreseeable increase in litigation and adapt the judicial plant to the existing needs, to guarantee to the citizens the effectiveness of the judicial protection of their rights.

This Royal Decree includes 36 new courts and 33 seats for magistrates in collegiate bodies in accordance with the proposals made by the CCAA, as well as a seat of judge or judge of Territorial Affiliation, which is assigned to the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, to perform functions of reinforcement and replacements.

Special mention should also be made of the measures adopted in this Royal Decree on gender violence, with the creation of new exclusive courts and the formalization of new groups of courts in this area. The aim is to extend the jurisdiction of the courts of violence against women to two or more judicial parties, in order to achieve a correct balance between maintaining a reasonable proximity of the court to the victims and the specialized response required by this type of procedure.

It also responds to the current overload of a significant number of courts that make cases of gender-based violence compatible with those of the rest of the criminal justice system. Thus, the Administration of Justice is making progress in compliance with the agreements of the State Pact against Gender Violence.

Specifically, the DR determines eight new groupings of judicial parties for the knowledge of issues of violence against women in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and the Foral Community of Navarra, as well as the modification of the grouping of the judicial party of Valencia, which extends its jurisdiction to the judicial parties of Quart de Poblet and Mislata, as a result of the creation and constitution of the Violence against Women Court number 6 of Valencia in the DR approved today.

In the words of Minister Félix Bolaños, this increase in the judiciary “is a sign of the commitment of this Government to the public service of Justice and a step forward to continue promoting the necessary transformation of the sector in our country. The impact that the good functioning of the Administration of Justice has on social and economic life is unquestionable and these measures contribute to an effective economic activation and effective protection of rights and freedoms.”