Justiniano Montero Elected President of the Dominican Supreme Court

The National Council of the Magistracy unanimously chose Justiniano Montero to lead the Supreme Court and appointed six new judges. Here is his background and the key dates.

The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM), headed by President Luis Abinader, unanimously chose judge Justiniano Montero Montero as president of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ). In the same session, the body appointed six new judges to the Dominican Republic's highest court.

The six judges chosen are Julio César Emilio Canó Alfau, Antonia Josefina Grullón Blandino, Amauris Antonio Pimentel Fabiano, Arelis Socorro Ricourt Gómez, Diomede Ydelfo Villalona Guerrero and Ylona María de la Rocha Camilo. CNM secretary Nancy Salcedo Fernández announced the appointments at the end of the session. Diomede Ydelfo Villalona Guerrero will serve as first substitute to the court's president, and Arelis Socorro Ricourt Gómez will hold the second substitute position.

The CNM has called the appointed judges to a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, at 9:00 a.m. At the National Palace. That same day, at 11:00 a.m., they will take office at the Supreme Court headquarters.

During the session, the CNM also decided to give a special recognition to Supreme Court president Luis Henry Molina and judge Nancy Salcedo for their contributions and years of efficient and principled service.

According to his résumé, Montero Montero holds a doctorate in law from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). He entered the judiciary in 1998 as a justice of the peace in the Second Circumscription of the National District and joined the Supreme Court in April 2019, where he served on the First Chamber, which handles civil and commercial matters, before taking the presidency.