International experts, jurists and deans spoke about the novelties introduced by the new Cassation Procedure Law No. 2-23 and the need for the academy to promote the use of jurisprudence as a learning tool.
During the seminar "Teaching law based on jurisprudence" held in the context of the Sixth Judicial Power 2024 Conference, the experts stressed the importance of jurisprudence as a source of law and the importance of making decisions accessible.
The panel linked to the 100% transparency axis included the participation of Ángel Oquendo, professor of law at the Universities of Connecticut and Puerto Rico; Alejandro Moscoso Segarra, former judge of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) of the Dominican Republic; and Dolores Feliz, associate dean of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, School of Law of the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE).
Also, Héctor Alíes, director of the Law School of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Santo Domingo campus and Edwin Espinal, director of the Law School of that university, Santiago campus; while Antonio García Padilla, director of the "Almanzor González Canahuate" Jurisprudence Chair of the Escuela Nacional de la Judicatura (ENJ), acted as moderator.
Professor Oquendo explained that jurisprudence is an enriching source and plays an important role in the study of law, so international rulings should also be incorporated (even if it is a bit complex) to see how other systems develop.
For her part, Dolores Feliz Graciano advocated the promotion of jurisprudential unity from the academy, and recommended that universities rethink the university curriculum and introduce the study of the decisions of judges.
For his part, former judge Alejandro Moscoso Segarra considered that the new Dominican law has given a relevant role to jurisprudence "and precedent", and he also believes it is necessary to change the weaknesses that prevail in Dominican and some Latin American universities regarding the teaching method centered on the teacher as an active element of the teaching-learning process.
Likewise, jurist and professor Héctor Alíes considered that the teaching of law should be carried out with the support of jurisprudence, studying landmark sentences that provide a constant jurisprudential criterion in a given area of law.
Finally, Professor Edwin Espinal affirmed that the new Cassation Law 2-23 creates a new paradigm with the fixing of the interest of the court of appeal that will produce a turnaround in the Dominican Republic and the universities must take on this challenge to introduce students to the study of this new form of jurisprudence.
The panel, held during the third day of the Judiciary Conference, was attended by university students, judges and jurists.
