The Government has approved this Friday the creation of 500 positions for judges and magistrates and another 200 for prosecutors for 2027, during an extraordinary Council of Ministers in which it also has begun the procedures to revalue pensions next January 1. With the new staff, the Executive aims to reduce the workload of the courts, especially in labor, civil, and violence against women proceedings.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, has explained that the 500 judicial positions approved are equivalent to an increase close to 8% of the judicial staff. To these are added another 500 authorized in June, so the Government has approved a total of 1,000 new positions for judges and magistrates in just five months.
The staff of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is also expanded, with 200 additional positions added to the other 200 approved in June. Bolaños defended the budgetary effort and compared the hires with those authorized during the previous governments of the PP.
More judges for labor disputes and sexist violence
Of the 500 judicial positions approved this Friday, 351 will be assigned to court of first instance, which have replaced the former single-person courts. Another 119 correspond to magistrates, distributed among the National High Court, the Superior Courts of Justice, and the provincial high courts, while the remaining 30 will be for judges assigned on a territorial basis, who will be able to reinforce the courts with the heaviest workload.
The social jurisdiction will receive special attention. A total of 104 positions will be added to the Social sections, tasked with resolving disputes related to dismissals, wage claims, and benefits of the Social Security. The aim, according to Bolaños, is to shorten response times in procedures that directly affect workers and companies.
The distribution also includes 81 positions in civil sections, another 81 in joint bodies with civil and instruction competences, and 31 in criminal sections.
In matters of sexist violence, the Executive has approved 18 new judicial positions, with which it intends to expand the specialization of the courts and extend their territorial scope. According to the data provided by the minister, specialized sections already exist in 44 provinces, in addition to Melilla.
Bolaños has expressly cited the cases of Bilbao and Salamanca, where the territorial jurisdiction of the specialized bodies will be expanded to handle procedures originating from nearby municipalities. With this, the Ministry seeks to facilitate victims’ access to courts with specific training and prevent them from having to unnecessarily repeat their testimony during the judicial process.
During his appearance, the minister has also referred to electoral proposals that defend the elimination of courts for violence against women, although he has avoided identifying the parties that promote them.
100,000 euros: the cost of each new judicial post
The reform of the courts of first instance has made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of expanding the judicial workforce, according to the calculations presented by the head of Justice.
Before its implementation, opening a single-judge court required, in addition to the judge, incorporating a lawyer of the Administration of Justice and several officials, at an estimated cost of between 500,000 and 600,000 euros. Now, by sharing administrative services, each new judicial post costs around 100,000 euros, according to Bolaños.
The minister has attributed this savings to the possibility of approving 1,000 judicial posts during 2026 and has recalled that the distribution has been negotiated with the Consejo General del Poder Judicial, the higher courts of Justice, and the autonomous communities with powers in this matter.