The Judiciary calls for the Presidency of the High Court of Madrid

The Plenary of the General Council of the Judiciary has called for the filling of the Presidency of the High Court of Justice of Madrid, a position of discretionary appointment with both governmental and jurisdictional character. The agreement, adopted at the Plenary meeting on September 16, 2026, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 240, of September 29, 2026, section II.B, page 127164 (reference BOE-A-2026-20159). The vacancy arises from the promotion of the previous president, Celso Rodríguez Padrón, to the category of Magistrate of the Supreme Court.

The legal framework and the origin of the vacancy

The call is issued in accordance with articles 326, 336, and 599.1.4.ª of the Organic Law 6/1985, of July 1, of the Judiciary, and with the concordant precepts of Regulation 1/2025, of December 17, on the filling of discretionary appointment positions in judicial bodies. The agreement is signed by the president of the General Council of the Judiciary, María Isabel Perelló Doménech.

The position became vacant due to the promotion of Celso Rodríguez Padrón to the category of Magistrate of the Fifth Chamber of the Supreme Court, agreed upon by Royal Decree 532/2026, of June 24, published in the BOE on July 16, 2026. Rodríguez Padrón had been appointed president of the High Court of Justice of Madrid by Royal Decree 279/2025, of April 15, to fill the vacancy produced by the expiration of the legal term of his previous mandate, following the competition called by agreement of the Plenary on January 29, 2025.

Deadline, requirements, and documentation

• Application period: twenty calendar days counted from the day following the publication of the competition in the Official State Gazette.
• Mandatory electronic submission via the extranet of the General Council of the Judiciary portal (www.poderjudicial.es), using the assisted form and electronic acknowledgment of receipt.
• Members of the Judicial Career with the category of Magistrate in active service or special services who, as of the date of publication, have provided ten years of service in the category and have belonged to the Judicial Career for at least fifteen years may apply.
• Merits shall be accredited with a detailed list, an action program for the judicial body, and a report of resolutions and works of legal relevance, with a maximum of three outstanding contributions.
• The specific merit for this Presidency is experience in collegiate judicial bodies.

Public appearance and proposal of the shortlist

The Qualification Commission shall summon the non-excluded persons to a videoconference appearance, in a public hearing, with a maximum duration of ten minutes and a live broadcast via the Transparency Portal. The event shall be announced at least three days in advance on the notice boards of the General Council of the Judiciary and the corresponding Governing Chambers, and accredited media outlets may follow it.

Prior to the proposal, reports shall be gathered from the Equality Commission, the Inspection Service, a certificate regarding final non-cancelled disciplinary sanctions, and an annual report from the Governing Chambers. The overall weighting shall guarantee the principle of balanced presence of women and men, such that neither sex exceeds sixty percent nor falls below forty percent.

Once the appearances are concluded, the Qualification Commission shall submit to the Plenary a proposal with a list of three candidacies, which may be exceptionally expanded when the similarity of merits justifies it. The appointment shall be made by royal decree upon the proposal of the Plenary and shall be published in the Official State Gazette, with such publication serving as notification to the applicants. Those who are not appointed shall have six months to withdraw the documentation provided.

Relevance

The Presidency of the High Court of Justice of Madrid is a discretionary appointment position whose holder assumes governmental and jurisdictional functions and presides over the Governing Chamber of the court; therefore, the selection conditions the organization and functioning of justice in the Community of Madrid. The competition opens barely a year and a half after the appointment of Celso Rodríguez Padrón and with a procedure that includes a public appearance and a reasoned proposal of a shortlist of three. An administrative appeal (recurso contencioso-administrativo) may be filed against the agreement before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court within two months and, optionally, a motion for reconsideration (recurso de reposición) before the Plenary within one month.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 240, of September 29, 2026, section II.B, page 127164 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-20159).