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The appointment of judges is understood as their appointment to occupy a judicial position for the first time, becoming part of the judicial career, in which case it is called "entry into the judicial career", or the appointment of a judge who, already belonging to the aforementioned career, becomes, by any of the mechanisms regulated in the Judicial Career Law, in its implementing regulations and in the regulations of the National School of the Judiciary, a function different from the one he/she had been performing, which is called "provision of judicial positions".
Supreme Court Justices
The judges of the Supreme Court of Justice are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary, in accordance with Article 179 of the Constitution of the Republic and the Organic Law of the National Council of the Judiciary.
When electing the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Council of the Magistracy shall determine which of them shall occupy the presidency, and shall designate a first and second substitute to replace the President in case of absence or impediment. The President and his substitutes shall exercise these functions for a period of seven years, at the end of which, after evaluation of their performance by the National Judicial Council, they may be elected for a new term.
In the event of a vacancy occurring for a judge vested with the aforementioned qualities, the National Council of the Magistracy shall appoint a new judge with the same qualities or shall assign the same to another of the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Other judges
In order to be appointed judge in the Judicial Branch, all candidates must submit to a public merit-based competition through the system of admission to the National School of the Judiciary established by law and have satisfactorily passed the training program of said school.
