The Supreme Court reopens its doors to primary school students who ask the judges if they have ever sentenced an innocent person

Francisco Marín Castán celebrates his first day as acting president this year

MADRID, 27 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The question about the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has been left aside for a moment during this morning in the Supreme Court and has been replaced by: "What do you prefer: to have gone to school or to have come here?" The question was raised first thing in the morning by the acting president of the High Court, Francisco Marín Castán, who made his debut at the head of the open day. The answer has been unanimous: "To have come here".

Dozens of fifth and sixth grade students from the Giner de los Ríos Public School in the Madrid town of Parla have come this Thursday to the gates of the High Court to learn about the functioning of Justice and the history of the building that houses the Supreme Court, as well as enough to enjoy a theatrical trial.

Dressed in orange tracksuits and among murmurs, the young people have entered through the main door of what was the palace and convent of the Salesas Reales and which today serves as the headquarters of the court in the Villa de París square in Madrid. After the echo of their footsteps and their voices, more than a dozen questions have been heard, all answered by Marín Castán himself.

"Have you ever made a mistake and put an innocent person in jail and then fixed it?" one of the children asked. The magistrate, surrounded by the students and by the press, has recognized that yes.

"That can happen, yes, when there is an error and someone who is not guilty is convicted, there are procedures to rectify that," explained the president of the Supreme Court. The answer, however, has left the student with one more question: "And why are you wrong?" Marín Castán, in a leisurely manner, explained that --just like children, teachers and parents-- judges can make mistakes. "Because we are human," he has said.

Before starting to go through long corridors, marble stairs and hearing rooms, the magistrate asked the children if they knew what the Supreme Court is and what the work of the judges is. The students, who have admitted to having studied yesterday in class, have responded confidently: "The Supreme Court is where the judges are and the trials are held"; "the Supreme is where the Judiciary is"; "a judge is a person who judges people."

Marín Castán, who has been comfortable and close with young people, has explained the functioning of Justice and has set an example of the role of parents, referees and even VAR. "A bit of the same thing happens. When there is a conflict between people because someone has done something that is wrong, a judge has to intervene to say if a punishment is due," he pointed out.

The students have shared the visit with other magistrates of the court, who have shared their daily experience in the Supreme Court. This Thursday the magistrates Manuel Marchena, Antonio del Moral, Eduardo Calvo, Andrés Martínez-Arrieta, Luis Díez-Picazo and Pedro José Vela will be participating in the conference. Other judges are expected to join tomorrow.

It is the first year that the magistrate presides over the open days of the Supreme Court, since he assumed the acting leadership of the body on October 13, after Carlos Lesmes resigned as president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and of the High Court in the absence of tangible progress in the negotiations between PSOE and PP to renew the governing body of the judges, as he had warned during the opening of the judicial year, on September 7.

Lesmes tried to leave his succession tied by commissioning a report from the Technical Cabinet of the Supreme Court - later supported by the Government Chamber - in which it was concluded that Marín Castán would automatically replace him in both positions once his resignation was consummated because he is the one who holds the Vice Presidency of the Supreme.

However, the CGPJ Plenary agreed to elevate Rafael Mozo, its oldest member, as "alternate president" of the CGPJ, which 'de facto' means dividing the head of the Judicial Power.

In the midst of this bicephaly, Marín Castán --as acting president of the Supreme Court-- has inaugurated the open day. Mozo, who had on the agenda to preside over the plenary session of the Council, has not participated.

The open days, which began to be held in 2005, have recovered their face-to-face format this week after the last two years in which they were held virtually as a result of the pandemic.

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Supreme Court will carry out guided tours of the most outstanding spaces of the Palacio de las Salesas, such as the Plenary Hall, the Hall of Lost Steps or the Rotunda. Those who go to court, in addition, will also be able to hold meetings with some of the magistrates.

Tomorrow, Friday, at 8:00 p.m., there will be a candlelight concert in which a string quartet will perform works by Hans Zimmer, one of the best-known soundtrack composers. Admission is free until full capacity of 400 places.