President Javier Milei of Argentina bypassed Senate approval to appoint two judges to the Supreme Court, citing the need for a functional court. Critics deemed the action an overreach of executive power and an attempt to place loyalists in key judicial positions. The appointment, particularly of Ariel Lijo, has drawn significant backlash due to Lijo's controversial background and ethical concerns. Human Rights Watch labeled this a substantial threat to judicial independence, emphasizing Milei's avoidance of parliamentary mechanisms in the appointment process during the Senate's recess.
The Supreme Court 'cannot carry out its normal role with only three justices,' the government stated, needing the appointments for essential functionality.
Human Rights Watch condemned the move as 'one of the most serious attacks against the independence of the Supreme Court in Argentina since the return of democracy.'
President Milei cannot pretend to evade institutional mechanisms simply because he has not obtained the necessary votes in the Senate to appoint his candidates, said Juanita Goebertus.
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