Event Summary
On 31 July 2025, President José Raúl Mulino indicated that he would not agree with the State Pact for Justice in the process of selecting new Supreme Court justices. Since 2005, the selection process has included the participation of the State Pact for Justice, composed of six state institutions and three civil society organizations: the National Bar Association, the Ecumenical Committee, and the Citizen Alliance for Justice, a civil society organization that brings together some twenty citizen organizations. It is a non-binding vetting process that allows citizens and media to learn about the candidates. The terms of two Supreme Court justices expire in December 2025, and the Cabinet Council is responsible for making the new appointments.
On 7 August the President of the Republic again questioned the State Pact for Justice and its role in examining the candidates that will be appointed as judges.
Civil society actors such as the Citizen Alliance for Justice and other national stakeholders have spoken out against the president’s statements. Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana (Transparency International Panama) also made a statement, stating that legislative appointment and ratification, without participatory counterweights from citizens and the media, *although legal* does not guarantee judicial independence or public legitimacy.
Ignoring the importance of the State Pact for Justice weakens and restricts the participation of civil society organizations in public affairs.