Santo Domingo.– The judge of the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), María Garabito Ramírez, informed the President of the Republic and the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM), Luis Abinader, of her decision not to submit to the performance evaluation process provided for the magistrates of the high court, and therefore she will remain in office until her replacement is appointed and sworn in.
The decision was notified through a letter dated August 4, 2026, in which the magistrate explained that she adopted this determination after deep reflection, following more than 38 years of service in the Dominican administration of justice.
Garabito based his decision on the paragraph of Article 5 of Regulation No. 2-25 for the Evaluation of Judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, which establishes that magistrates who decide not to participate in the evaluation will continue in the exercise of their functions until their replacements are appointed and sworn in.
In her communication, the judge recounted her career within the Judiciary, highlighting that she served as a representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, a judge of first instance, a member judge, and a substitute judge of the Court of Appeal of the Judicial Department of San Juan de la Maguana. Likewise, she presided over the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal of the Judicial Department of San Cristóbal and, since 2019, she was a member of the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
The magistrate thanked the National Council of the Magistracy for having appointed her as a judge of the SCJ in 2019 and expressed her gratitude to the president of the high court, Luis Henry Molina, as well as to the other judges with whom she shared duties during her tenure.
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“I conclude this professional stage with the satisfaction of duty fulfilled and with the hope that the National Council of the Magistracy will continue to strengthen judicial independence and democratic institutionality through the selection of judges who honor the highest values of the jurisdictional function,” expressed Garabito in the letter.
The communication was forwarded with a copy to the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Luis Henry Molina; the President of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos; the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco; the President of the Constitutional Court, Napoleón Estévez Lavandier; Senator Omar Fernández, and Deputy Rafael Tobías Crespo, all members of the National Council of the Magistracy.
Three magistrates decline to continue in the process
With María Garabito’s decision, there are now three Supreme Court of Justice magistrates who have chosen not to participate in the evaluation process for a new term.
Previously, the president of the SCJ, Luis Henry Molina, and the substitute judge of the presidency of the high court, Nancy Salcedo, also communicated to President Luis Abinader their decision not to run to continue in their positions.
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The Minister of Justice, Antoliano Peralta, reported that both decisions were notified through letters addressed to the president, in his capacity as president of the National Council of the Magistracy.
The CNM formally began its work on August 3, 2026, and is scheduled to begin the performance evaluation process for Supreme Court of Justice judges on August 7.
Initially, the evaluation included 11 magistrates. However, after the decision of Luis Henry Molina, Nancy Salcedo, and María Garabito not to undergo the process, eight judges will participate in this first stage of evaluation.
