Legislators Appoint Four Alternate Magistrates to Supreme Court's First Chamber
Four judges appointed following multiple rounds of voting in the Legislative Assembly.
On Thursday, members of the Legislative Assembly appointed four alternate magistrates to the First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice after four rounds of voting.
Three individuals were elected in the first round, while the final magistrate was chosen during the fourth round after a recess for negotiation among legislative factions.
The newly appointed magistrates are Rosa María Cortés Morales, Guillermo Guilá Alvarado, Lindsay Rodríguez Cubero, and Yuri López Casal.
In the voting, Cortés Morales received 43 votes, Guilá Alvarado received 41 votes, Rodríguez Cubero also garnered 43 votes, and López Casal achieved 44 votes, thereby meeting the requirement.
According to the Political Constitution, a minimum of 38 affirmative votes from congress members is necessary for the appointment of any magistrate, whether principal or alternate.
The term for alternate magistrates is set at four years, which is half the period for principal magistrates.
The official swearing-in for the newly appointed magistrates is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27.
The First Chamber, as outlined in the Organic Law of the Judiciary, serves as the court of cassation for matters related to civil and commercial issues, as well as contencious-administrative and civil tax matters, and the validity of regulations, among others.
Rosa María Cortés Morales, age 61, has served as a contencious-administrative judge since 2010 and is currently the fourth judge in the Eighth Section of the Administrative Court.
Prior to her judicial appointment, she practiced law independently.
Guillermo Guilá Alvarado, aged 48, is a judge at the Civil and Labor Appeals Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Alajuela.
His judicial career spans various jurisdictions from 2000 to 2025, including positions in the Atlantic region, San José, and Heredia.
Lindsay Rodríguez Cubero, 45, has been a judge since May 2013. She previously served as the coordinator in the Authorization and Approvals Area of the Legal Directorate of the Ministry of Finance from 2006 to 2013. Additionally, she worked as a lawyer for the Normative Directorate within the General Directorate of Property Administration and Contracting, and served as a legal advisor to the Presidency between 2004 and 2006.
Yuri López Casal, aged 53, has been part of the Judiciary since 1994, initially at the Fifth Civil Court of Minor Jurisdiction in San José.
In 2017, he worked at the Civil Court of Heredia and then transitioned to the First Instance Civil Collegiate Court of Heredia, eventually becoming a judge at the Civil and Labor Appeals Court of Heredia in 2020. López Casal previously served as an alternate magistrate in the First Chamber from 2020 to 2024.
Three individuals were elected in the first round, while the final magistrate was chosen during the fourth round after a recess for negotiation among legislative factions.
The newly appointed magistrates are Rosa María Cortés Morales, Guillermo Guilá Alvarado, Lindsay Rodríguez Cubero, and Yuri López Casal.
In the voting, Cortés Morales received 43 votes, Guilá Alvarado received 41 votes, Rodríguez Cubero also garnered 43 votes, and López Casal achieved 44 votes, thereby meeting the requirement.
According to the Political Constitution, a minimum of 38 affirmative votes from congress members is necessary for the appointment of any magistrate, whether principal or alternate.
The term for alternate magistrates is set at four years, which is half the period for principal magistrates.
The official swearing-in for the newly appointed magistrates is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27.
The First Chamber, as outlined in the Organic Law of the Judiciary, serves as the court of cassation for matters related to civil and commercial issues, as well as contencious-administrative and civil tax matters, and the validity of regulations, among others.
Rosa María Cortés Morales, age 61, has served as a contencious-administrative judge since 2010 and is currently the fourth judge in the Eighth Section of the Administrative Court.
Prior to her judicial appointment, she practiced law independently.
Guillermo Guilá Alvarado, aged 48, is a judge at the Civil and Labor Appeals Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Alajuela.
His judicial career spans various jurisdictions from 2000 to 2025, including positions in the Atlantic region, San José, and Heredia.
Lindsay Rodríguez Cubero, 45, has been a judge since May 2013. She previously served as the coordinator in the Authorization and Approvals Area of the Legal Directorate of the Ministry of Finance from 2006 to 2013. Additionally, she worked as a lawyer for the Normative Directorate within the General Directorate of Property Administration and Contracting, and served as a legal advisor to the Presidency between 2004 and 2006.
Yuri López Casal, aged 53, has been part of the Judiciary since 1994, initially at the Fifth Civil Court of Minor Jurisdiction in San José.
In 2017, he worked at the Civil Court of Heredia and then transitioned to the First Instance Civil Collegiate Court of Heredia, eventually becoming a judge at the Civil and Labor Appeals Court of Heredia in 2020. López Casal previously served as an alternate magistrate in the First Chamber from 2020 to 2024.
