Henry Molina reaffirms that judicial independence is based on the Constitution and the laws

Santo Domingo.- The president judge of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) Henry Molina assured that judicial independence, far from being a privilege of judges, is a guarantee of citizenship, understanding that a strong Judiciary is not legitimized by the popularity of its decisions, but by fidelity to the Constitution and the laws.

“When a judge can decide without fear, free from external pressures and without calculations outside the law, society gains in certainty, equality, and trust. Thus, judicial independence ceases to be an abstract aspiration and becomes a concrete guarantee for citizens and an effective pillar of our constitutional democracy,” he asserted.

He maintained that judicial career systems consolidate that guarantee so that those who judge, do so from merit, training and accumulated experience, and not from the need to “please, convince or promise“, thus strengthening public confidence in judicial decisions.

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The presiding judge spoke thus when addressing the new judges of the 2023 Promotion of the Judge Aspirant Training Program of the National School of the Judiciary, during an event at the Supreme Court of Justice that was attended by Vice President Raquel Peña.

“The democratic legitimacy of the judge is built in his daily practice: actively listening, carefully studying each case, applying the law from sound criticism, motivating with rigor and assuming his decision with responsibility, integrity and courage, even when doing so is unpopular,” indicated Henry Molina.

He said that the toga that the new judges receive today symbolizes public service; that in his opinion it is a responsibility assumed before the Republic and before its people, which requires taking care, every day, of judicial independence as an essential condition of our freedom. In that sense, he indicated that the Rule of Law is not a definitive achievement, but a permanent construction that must be reinforced and consolidated every day. The presiding judge assured that in a world marked by misinformation, the greatest strength of the Judiciary will continue to be the quality of its decisions and the integrity of those who make them.

“Difficult days will come. There will be times when the right decision will be the most criticized; times when pressure, public opinion or the interests of the moment will try to bend your judgment or put a label on you. That is the moment of truth,” he underlined.