The General Council of the Judiciary has prioritized efficiency and appointed Victoria Anabella Bachi Di Rienzo and Miguel Sánchez López as substitute judges for the 2025/2026 judicial year. The curious aspect of this agreement, signed by the president of the CGPJ, María Isabel Perelló Doménech, is the vast area they will have to cover.
Far from being confined to a single island, their names appear in the records of the Courts of First Instance throughout virtually the entire Canary archipelago. In the province of Las Palmas, their jurisdiction extends from the capital of Gran Canaria to Arrecife, passing through Arucas, Puerto del Rosario, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Santa María de Guía, and Telde.
But across the Atlantic, in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the list is no less extensive: they'll be covering Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arona, Granadilla de Abona, Güímar, Icod de los Vinos, Los Llanos de Aridane, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, San Sebastián de la Gomera, Santa Cruz de la Palma, and Valverde. A busy schedule that certainly won't leave them any time to get bored while traveling between islands.
As is typical in these cases involving state bureaucracy, the appointment is based on Article 109 of the Regulations for the Judicial Career. Should anyone find the calculations incorrect or wish to appeal the decision, the agreement itself points out that a direct administrative appeal can be filed with the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court. However, the clock is already ticking: the deadline is a strict two months, starting the day after this unusual appointment is published in the Official State Gazette.
Meanwhile, the islands are preparing to receive a veritable judicial "platoon." Five trainee judges will be tasked with reinforcing the courts: Raúl Antonio Jerónimo Valladares, Irene González López, Jorge Gómez-Escolar Arias, Danna Gabriella San Juan Riverol, and Macarena Belén Acosta Ricco. This deployment is for what promises to be a hectic autumn on the islands, requiring these new professionals to always have their cars and ferry or plane tickets ready to go wherever a court needs them.
