Justices of the Peace appointed in Almedinilla, Villaralto, and Hinojosa del Duque

The Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla has appointed justices of the peace in Almedinilla, Villaralto, and Hinojosa del Duque, according to the edicts published by the Government Secretariat in the Official Gazette of the Province of Córdoba (BOP) No. 220, dated November 13, 2026, in the Administration of Justice section. The agreement was adopted in the session held on October 20, 2026, and the appointments are distributed across four edicts with official references BOP-A-2026-3723, BOP-A-2026-3724, BOP-A-2026-3725, and BOP-A-2026-3726. An administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed against each of them before the General Council of the Judiciary.

The four edicts follow the same text: it is hereby made known that, by agreement of the Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice, in the session of October 20, the indicated persons have been appointed to hold the stated positions. Each resolution is signed in Granada, on October 26, 2026, by the Government Secretary, Pedro Jesús Campoy López, and appears authenticated with its corresponding secure verification code (CSV), with an electronic signature date of November 13, 2026.

The publication in the BOP completes the administrative procedure for the appointments and opens the period for any challenge, in addition to providing the mandatory official dissemination within the provincial scope.

Four appointments in three judicial districts

The positions agreed upon by the Governing Chamber are distributed as follows:

• Ms. Encarnación Muñoz Serrano, permanent justice of the peace of Almedinilla, in the judicial district of Priego de Córdoba (p. 16218, reference BOP-A-2026-3724).
• Mr. Rafael José Gutiérrez Muñoz, substitute justice of the peace of Almedinilla, also in the judicial district of Priego de Córdoba (p. 16217, reference BOP-A-2026-3723).
• Ms. Cristina Torrico Gómez, permanent justice of the peace of Villaralto, in the judicial district of Pozoblanco (p. 16219, reference BOP-A-2026-3725).
• Ms. Míriam Fernández Montenegro, substitute justice of the peace of Hinojosa del Duque, in the judicial district of Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo (p. 16220, reference BOP-A-2026-3726).

In this way, Almedinilla is the only one of the three municipalities with both positions filled in the same agreement, with a permanent and a substitute, while Villaralto and Hinojosa del Duque receive one appointment each.

One month to appeal before the CGPJ

The four edicts expressly incorporate the challenge regime. Against the agreement of the Governing Chamber, an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) before the General Council of the Judiciary is applicable, which must be filed within a period of one month, counted from date to date from the notification or from the publication in the corresponding Official Gazette of the Province.

It is, therefore, a period that runs in parallel to the official publication and makes the edicts of November 13 the temporal starting point for any claim regarding the four appointments.

Proximity positions in the Administration of Justice

Justice of the peace courts are the closest judicial instance in municipalities that do not have a court of first instance and instruction, and they assume functions of civil registry, summons, and small claims matters. The appointment of their holders and substitutes corresponds to the Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice, in accordance with the procedure provided for in the organic regulations of the Judiciary, and their publication in the provincial bulletin is the procedure that provides official coverage for the exercise of the office.

The designation of the substitute also has an immediate practical function: it guarantees the continuity of the service when the holder cannot exercise their functions.

Impact for the affected municipalities

The filling of these positions directly affects the daily life of Almedinilla, Villaralto, and Hinojosa del Duque, three municipalities in the province of Córdoba that now have justices of the peace already appointed and published in the official bulletin. The difference between having a holder and a substitute is not insignificant: in Almedinilla, both positions are covered, which reduces the risk of service interruptions, while the residents of Villaralto and Hinojosa del Duque see their respective appointments confirmed following the agreement of the Governing Chamber on October 20. Regardless of local interest, the publication in the BOP No. 220 of November 13, 2026, establishes the moment from which the one-month period to appeal before the General Council of the Judiciary begins, so that any person or entity with a legitimate interest is now aware of the route and the calendar to challenge appointments that affect the functioning of the Administration of Justice in these three Córdoba municipalities. Interested parties may consult the full content of the four edicts on pages 16217 to 16220 of the provincial bulletin.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Province of Córdoba, No. 220, November 13, 2026, Administration of Justice, pp. 16217-16220 (official references: BOP-A-2026-3723, BOP-A-2026-3724, BOP-A-2026-3725, and BOP-A-2026-3726).