Direct appointment of substitute justices of the peace in 27 municipalities of Burgos

The High Court of Justice of Castilla y León has authorized the announcement of vacancies to be filled via the direct appointment process for the position of substitute justice of the peace in 27 municipalities in the province of Burgos. The agreement of the Governing Chamber is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos no. 189, corresponding to Monday, October 5, 2026, within section IV, Administration of Justice. The announcement bears the official reference BOPBUR-2026-04112 and was signed in Burgos on September 22, 2026, by the Secretary of Government, María Teresa de Benito Martínez.

The announcement is issued in compliance with the provisions of article 101.4 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary and article 11.1 of the Justice of the Peace Regulations 3/1995, of June 7. The Governing Chamber of the Castilian and Leonese high court authorized the announcement of the vacancies during its session, which are processed through the direct appointment procedure and not through the municipal election call.

All announced positions correspond to the role of substitute justice of the peace; none are for permanent positions. The list affects municipalities of very different sizes distributed across regions such as La Bureba, the Sierra de la Demanda, el Arlanza, Las Merindades, and the alfoz of Burgos.

The 27 municipalities with vacancies

The list published by the Government Secretariat includes the following localities, all with a vacant substitute justice of the peace position:

• Ibrillos
• Fresneda de la Sierra Tirón
• Villagalijo
• Villamiel de la Sierra
• Vallarta de Bureba
• Castrillo de Riopisuerga
• Quintanapalla
• Villaescusa la Sombría
• Itero del Castillo
• Junta de Villalba de Losa
• Los Ausines
• Quintanaélez
• Busto de Bureba
• Rublacedo de Abajo
• Ciruelos de Cervera
• Buniel
• Valmala
• Villamedianilla
• Peñaranda de Duero
• Peral de Arlanza
• San Juan del Monte
• Cerezo de Río Tirón
• Trespaderne
• Bujedo
• Tinieblas de la Sierra
• Humada
• Quintanilla de la Mata

How to submit the application

Applications to fill each vacancy must be sent directly to the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León, to its Government Secretariat, and not to the affected city councils. Each request must include a declaration by the interested party stating that they are not subject to any cause of incompatibility or incapacity, in addition to a photocopy of their ID (DNI) for identification.

The announcement does not specify a concrete submission deadline in its text, so applicants must adhere to what the court itself establishes. The direct appointment process allows the vacancy to be filled without going through the election by the municipal Plenary, which generally governs the process.

Legal framework of the position

Article 101.4 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary and Article 11.1 of Regulation 3/1995 authorize the Governing Chamber of the superior court to announce vacancies for the justice of the peace when the circumstances provided for in the regulation occur. Justices of the peace operate in municipalities where there is no court of first instance and instruction and assume conciliation functions, in addition to certain actions by delegation.

The publication in the Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos opens the procedure so that the residents of those 27 municipalities can apply for a position that, in practice, sustains the administration of justice closest to the rural environment.

The filling of these 27 vacancies will determine the continuity of the justice of the peace service in as many Burgos municipalities, many of them with an aging population and without their own court. Direct appointment prevents the localities from being left without a substitute justice of the peace while the ordinary election procedures are resolved.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Burgos, no. 189, October 5, 2026, section IV. Administration of Justice, pp. 92-93 (official reference: BOPBUR-2026-04112).