Concepción Espejel

Concepción Espejel
Espejel in 2011
Magistrate of the Constitutional Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 November 2021
Personal details
Born
Concepción Espejel Jorquera

(1959-09-15) 15 September 1959 (age 65)
Madrid, Spain
Alma materICADE

Concepción Espejel Jorquera (born 15 September 1959) is a Spanish magistrate, member of the Constitutional Court of Spain since 2021.

Biography

Espejel was born on 15 September 1959 in Madrid.[1] She joined the judicial career in 1983,[2] after passing a (minor) public examination to the post of district judge.[3] She had Vinaroz, Valls and Reus as early destinations.[2] From 1987 to 2008, she worked as magistrate in the provincial audiencias of Tarragona, Segovia and Guadalajara.[2] In Guadalajara, she assumed the pre-trial investigation on the 2005 Guadalajara forest fire [es].[4]

She served as member of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) during the 2008–2013 term.[2][4] After her spell at the CGPJ, she returned to the judicial career and entered the Audiencia Nacional.[5]

She was recused (at least 6 times) of procedures related to the Gürtel case because of her proximity to the People's Party (alongside fellow magistrate Enrique López).[6][7] In 2017, the CGPJ elected her nonetheless to lead the Criminal Chamber of the Audiencia Nacional, in replacement of Fernando Grande-Marlaska.[8][5] As president of said chamber, she participated in the trial of the so-called Altsasu case, which was eventually taken to the Strasbourg Court in order to determine if the accused had a fair trial.[9]

In October 2021, after a tentative deal struck between the national government and the opposition, she was reported to be one of the incoming members of the Constitutional Court.[10] The Congress of Deputies approved her nomination on 11 November 2021[11] and was appointed on 17 November.[12] She was sworn in the following day.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Quién es quién en el nuevo CGPJ". El Imparcial. 16 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d Marraco, Manuel (25 May 2017). "La magistrada apartada de 'Gürtel' por afinidad al PP presidirá la Sala Penal de la Audiencia Nacional". El Mundo.
  3. ^ Gómez, José Antonio (27 May 2017). "Espejel ocultó en su relación de méritos que lo que aprobó fueron oposiciones a juez de distrito". Diario16.
  4. ^ a b Ull Pont, Eugenio (2009). "El poder judicial y su consejo general" (PDF). Anales de la Real Academia de Doctores de España. 13: 164.
  5. ^ a b Parera, Beatriz (27 May 2017). "La juez apartada de Gürtel, elegida para presidir la Sala de la AN". El Confidencial.
  6. ^ Balín, Mateo (21 October 2021). "La juez Espejel, recusada en 'Gürtel', nueva magistrada del TC". Diario Sur.
  7. ^ "Concepción Espejel, apartada de causas contra el PP, nombrada presidenta de la Sala de lo Penal de la Audiencia Nacional". Antena 3. 17 January 2018.
  8. ^ Vega, Isabel (21 October 2021). "Espejel, la juez recusada en Gürtel por su cercanía al PP que salta al Constitucional". ABC.
  9. ^ Albin, Danilo (20 July 2021). "El Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos investigará si los jóvenes de Altsasu tuvieron acceso a un juicio justo". Público.
  10. ^ Parera, Beatriz; Gil, Iván. "Gobierno y PP acuerdan la entrada de los jueces Sáez y Espejel en el Constitucional". El Confidencial.
  11. ^ El Congreso avala la candidatura de Ángel Gabilondo a Defensor del Pueblo y designa a cuatro magistrados del Tribunal Constitucional y a seis consejeros del Tribunal de Cuentas (in Spanish)
  12. ^ Real Decreto 1035/2021, de 17 de noviembre, por el que se nombra Magistrada del Tribunal Constitucional a doña Concepción Espejel Jorquera. (in Spanish)
  13. ^ Los cuatro nuevos magistrados del Tribunal Constitucional toman posesión de sus cargos (in Spanish)