Cantabria regulates the selection and termination of interim Justice staff by order

The Ministry of Presidency, Justice, Security, and Administrative Simplification of the Government of Cantabria has approved Order PRE/140/2026, dated September 25, regulating the selection, training, appointment, and termination of interim civil servants serving the Administration of Justice in Cantabria. The provision is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 189, dated October 1, 2026, in section 2.3 (Others), with the official reference CVE-2026-7572, and enters into force on the day following its publication. It is signed by the Minister María Isabel Urrutia de los Mozos.

The new order repeals Order PRE/48/2018, dated August 21, and is issued under article 489.1 of Organic Law 6/1985, dated July 1, of the Judiciary, which allows for the appointment of interim civil servants due to service needs in the event of vacant positions, temporary substitution of holders, or accumulation of cases. The framework is completed by Royal Decree 1451/2005, dated December 7, and Royal Decree 817/2007, dated June 22, by which the functions and services regarding personnel resources for the operation of the Administration of Justice were transferred to Cantabria.

The processing was carried out following negotiations with the trade union organizations represented in the Sectoral Table of civil servant personnel serving the Administration of Justice in Cantabria, with a favorable report from the General Council of the Judiciary and in agreement with the Council of State. The text consists of 29 articles distributed across five chapters, three transitional provisions, one repealing provision, and three final provisions, and its stated objective is to streamline the establishment and management of candidate pools, guarantee personnel training, and improve publicity and transparency.

Affected bodies and job pools

The scope of application covers the destination centers managed by Cantabria across four bodies:

• Forensic doctors.
• Procedural and administrative management.
• Procedural and administrative processing.
• Judicial assistance.

The job pools will have a validity of two years and a minimum number of members equal to the total number of civil servants of each body in the job position lists. In each pool, a quota of no less than 7 percent of the positions will be reserved for people with disabilities, and reserve pools and extraordinary pools may be established when no candidates exist. Applicants may declare their willingness to fill positions in the judicial districts of Castro Urdiales, Santoña, San Vicente de la Barquera, and Reinosa, with preference over the remaining members.

Merits, scoring, and valuation commission

The order establishes a detailed scale. Experience in the Administration of Justice is valued at a maximum of 36 points, at a rate of 0.20 points per full month in the same body. Passing the selective tests of the last two completed processes grants 48 points if all exercises were passed without obtaining a position, 30 points with two or more exercises, and 18 points with the first. Academic qualifications add up to 12 points for a doctorate in Law, 10 for a degree or professional access master’s, and 8 for a bachelor’s degree in Law, among other cases.

The assessment is carried out by a commission composed of a president, a secretary, and an odd number of members, appointed respecting gender parity. Following the provisional lists, interested parties will have five business days to rectify or appeal, and the final lists will be published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria, the electronic office, and the Justice intranet.

Training, internships, and reinforcements

Interims without at least six months of effective service in Cantabria in the last two years must complete a training course during their first week of work, focused on the VEREDA procedural management system. They may have a tutor from the same body and center, with tutoring for a maximum of twenty hours spread over two weeks, and will be considered interims in training for two months, with a final rating of fit or unfit.

Reinforcement appointments, for extraordinary workloads or exceptional delays, will have a maximum duration of six months, extendable for another six, upon request from the Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice, the Superior Prosecutor’s Office, or the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Cantabria. Staff insufficiency will be considered structural when three years have elapsed since the appointment of a reinforcement.

Appointments, calls, and termination

Positions will not be temporarily filled for absences of less than thirty days, except for exceptions such as centers with a single position or medical leaves that exceed that period. The general directorate will acknowledge receipt within three business days and resolve within a maximum of five, with telephone calls between 8:00 and 15:00 hours, up to three calls and a possible SMS. The candidate must take office before 9:00 hours on the following business day.

Termination will occur, among other cases, due to the definitive filling of the vacancy, the expiration of the term, the passage of three years since the appointment to a vacant position, voluntary resignation, or a manifest subsequent lack of capacity. The status of the lists will be updated on the electronic office at least once a month.

The regulation governs temporary access to the Cantabrian Justice system in a context of a high number of candidates and complex evaluation criteria, and seeks to reduce the time taken to fill vacancies in courts and prosecutor’s offices. Its application directly affects those aspiring to join the candidate pools and the judicial bodies that depend on these appointments to sustain their daily activity.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 189, of October 1, 2026, section 2.3 (Others), pp. 48802-48823 (official reference: CVE-2026-7572).