Federal Judge Ariel Lijo defends Supreme Court candidacy before Senate

Federal Judge Ariel Lijo on Wednesday defended his nomination for a bench on Argentina’s Supreme Court before a Senate committee, seeking to clear up doubts about his suitability for the role.

In an epic public hearing lasting more than eight hours, Lijo painted his nomination as a chance to see a “representative of the Judiciary” sit on the nation’s highest tribunal.

"The [Supreme] Court today is made up of academics, of judges who come from different sectors of the legal profession, and I would be a representative of the judiciary," stressed the candidate, who was nominated by President Javier Milei back in March.

The session began with a reading of endorsements and challenges before Lijo took the floor. He immediately flattered the senators present, seeking to put his candidacy on a sure footing. 

Lijo, 55, went on to quote Argentina’s most famous writer, Jorge Luis Borges, in a speech that lasted just over half an hour. He recounted his beginnings in the Judiciary and halted briefly as he became emotional remembering his father.

Outlining his beliefs, the federal judge called for the Supreme Court to “have a policy that involves the protection of cases of domestic violence, gender violence, minors and addiction."

Lijo also suggested streamlining the sentencing processes of the highest court in order to reduce litigation: "The time has come for the Court itself and Congress to sit down and find a solution,” he declared.

He also called for “"policy issues to be resolved within the realm of ideas established by the Constitution” and warned that “issues between Parliament and the Executive branch also have their own rules, of checks and balances.”

“Believe me, the Judiciary cannot always provide a solution to this type of conflict,” he declared – a not-so-subtle nod to ongoing rows over the sharing of federal revenue-sharing funds. 

Addressing specific ongoing judicial cases, Lijo called for the Supreme Court to set up a “special secretariat to investigate” the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre, arguing “we know much more about the organisations, we know how it was financed.”

The atmosphere became more charged as Lijo began to take questions. PRO senator Carmen Álvarez Rivero (Córdoba) cited statistics on the judge’s performance in his court, highlighting his “low convictions in corruption cases" that he has overseen. 

Álvarez Rivero also argued that Lijo had repeatedly been investigated by the Magistrates’ Council, the body that fires and hires judges. 

Lijo responded forcefully, describing those attempts as “episodes of injustice” and complaining that “there continues to be a cloak of false suspicion over my moral identity."

Radical Senator Carolina Losada then intervened, informing Lijo that “of all the judges in Comodoro Py, you are one of the three most denounced.”

She then declared: “I do not consider you to be suitable for the position and you are endangering the Argentine nation.”

Losada further questioned Lijo by highlighting the Supreme Court’s lack of a female justice and called for a woman to be appointed to fill the vacancy left by Elena Highton de Nolasco in 2021. 

Other senators echoed Losada, including Radical and Kirchnerite lawmakers, who also highlighted allegations of corruption and malpractice. 

“I am a person of integrity and I have shown that these allegations were false,” declared Lijo in response.

– TIMES/NA