The TSJCV appoints justices of the peace in La Salzadella, Palanques, and Pavías

The Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) has appointed titular and substitute justices of the peace in three municipalities of the province of Castellón: La Salzadella, Palanques, and Pavías. The agreement was adopted in the session of September 9, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Castellón number 115, dated September 24, 2026, through four edicts with references 04073-2026, 04074-2026, 04075-2026, and 04076-2026. The positions will be held for a period of four years.

The appointments are made public in compliance with Article 8 of Regulation number 3/1995, “On Justices of the Peace”, approved by agreement of the Plenary of the General Council of the Judiciary on June 7, 1995 (BOE of July 17, 1995). Each designation corresponds to the prior election by the Plenary of the respective city council, pursuant to Article 101 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary, and is supported by the government file opened in each case. The agreements were adopted unanimously by the attending members of the Governing Chamber Commission, and the orders were issued in Valencia on September 14, 2026, signed by the Government Secretary, Rafael Lara Hernández.

The four appointments

• Silvia Solsona Ochando, substitute justice of the peace of La Salzadella (judicial district of Vinaroz), elected by the Plenary of the city council according to the agreement of August 13, 2026 (government file no. 506/93).
• Sergio Alarcón Gual, titular justice of the peace of Palanques (Vinaroz), elected by plenary agreement on June 4, 2026 (government file no. 692/93).
• Fernando Esteban Villagrasa, titular justice of the peace of Pavías (Segorbe), elected by plenary agreement on July 10, 2026 (government file no. 27/94).
• Fernando Esteban Martín, substitute justice of the peace of Pavías (Segorbe), elected by plenary agreement on July 10, 2026 (government file no. 27/94).

Deadlines and assumption of office

The four designees must assume office at the justice office of their municipality within three days following the taking of the oath or promise, if applicable, and in any case within twenty calendar days following the publication of the appointment in the Official Gazette of the Province.

The prior oath or promise, when applicable, shall be taken before the Presidency of the Court of First Instance of Vinaroz in the cases of La Salzadella and Palanques, and before that of Segorbe in the case of Pavías. The edict warns that refusing to take the oath or promise, or failing to assume office without just cause, will be understood as a resignation from the position, according to Articles 20 and 21 of the Regulation of Justices of the Peace.

Legal framework and term calculation

The four-year period is computed from the date of publication of the appointment in the Official Gazette of the Province, not from the session of the Governing Board nor from the municipal election. The designation is based on articles 4, 8, and concordant articles of Regulation No. 3/1995 and on article 101 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary, which assigns the election of justices of the peace to the municipal plenums and the formalization of the appointment to the Governing Board of the superior court.

The renewal of these four positions guarantees the continuity of proximity justice in three small municipalities in the interior of Castellón, where the justice of the peace assumes civil, misdemeanor, and civil registry competencies that would otherwise remain uncovered. Publication in the official gazette marks the effective start of the mandate and activates the deadlines for the oath and taking of office.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Castellón, No. 115, September 24, 2026, Administration of Justice (official references: 04073-2026, 04074-2026, 04075-2026, and 04076-2026).