Destinations of 120 magistrates following the General Council of the Judiciary's competition

The Official State Gazette publishes this Monday, September 7, 2026, in issue number 221, Royal Decree 673/2026, of July 29, by which the assignments are made for the magistrates listed as a result of the competition resolved by agreement of the Permanent Commission of the General Council of the Judiciary. The provision, signed by the King and by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños García, assigns a total of 120 positions in judicial bodies throughout the national territory.

The competition was announced via publication in the BOE on May 7, 2026, with a correction of errors on May 9, and was resolved by the Permanent Commission of the CGPJ at its meeting on July 21, 2026. The resolution is issued in accordance with articles 326, 327, 329, 330, 332, 333, 334, 602 and concordant articles of the Organic Law 6/1985, of July 1, of the Judiciary, and Regulation 2/2011, of April 28, of the Judicial Career.

Assignments in superior courts and provincial courts

A significant portion of the appointments falls within the chambers of the Superior Courts of Justice and the Provincial Courts, both in magistrate positions and section presidencies. Notable assignments include:

• José Luis Ruiz Martínez, to the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands.
• Pilar Yebra-Pimentel Vilar, to the Social Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid.
• José Manuel Holgado Merino, as president of the Third Section, criminal, of the Provincial Court of Seville.
• Rosa María Quintana San Martín, as president of the Thirtieth Section, criminal, of the Provincial Court of Madrid.
• Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones Fernández, to the Criminal Chamber of the National Court.
• María del Carmen Rodrigo Sáiz, to the Social Chamber of the National Court.

Mobility in the courts of first instance

The bulk of the transfers is concentrated in the courts of first instance, with dozens of changes of section and position in bodies in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Bilbao, Gijón, Zaragoza, and other cities. Appointments with specific competencies are also included, such as the position in the Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance of Barcelona dedicated to passive international legal cooperation, or positions with exclusive jurisdiction over Violence against Women in Móstoles and in several provincial courts.

Exclusions and preferences

The royal decree excludes several applications for failing to meet the minimum length of stay at the destination, in accordance with the rules of the call and article 311.1 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary:

• Agustín Pardillo Hernández and María Begoña Tárrega Cervera.
• Davinia Carolina García Molinero.
• Cristina Bustabad Pérez and Adrián Cámara del Río.
• Gorka de la Cuesta Bermejo, regarding the position at the Provincial Court of Gipuzkoa reserved for a commercial law specialist.

The resolution also includes the incidents derived from the preferences of articles 329 and 330 of the LOPJ, which have allowed magistrates with a lower seniority ranking to obtain certain positions with jurisdiction over family law, violence against women, or commercial matters.

The appointed magistrates shall not cease their current assignments until the next business day following publication in the BOE, except for exceptions agreed upon by the Permanent Commission. An administrative appeal may be filed against the provision before the Plenary of the General Council of the Judiciary within one month of its publication.

The resolution of this competition represents a broad renewal of the Spanish judicial staff, with a direct impact on the filling of section presidencies, chambers of the superior courts, and specialized positions, at a time of reorganization of the judicial career following the implementation of the courts of first instance.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 221, September 7, 2026, Sec. II.A, p. 119679 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-18701).