List of presidents of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica
Head of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica
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The president of the Supreme Court of Justice is the head of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica, an office established in 1825 as Regent of the Superior Court. Under Article 159 of the Constitution, the president is elected by the magistrates of the Full Court (Corte Plena) for a four-year term and may be re-elected. Unlike the other magistrates of the court, who may be naturalized Costa Rican citizens after ten years of residence, the president must be a Costa Rican citizen by birth.
| President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica | |
|---|---|
Logo of the Judiciary of Costa Rica | |
| Style | Magistrate President |
| Appointer | Supreme Court of Justice |
| Term length | 4 years, renewable |
Constituting instrument | Fundamental Law of the State of Costa Rica |
| Inaugural holder | José Simeón Guerrero de Arcos y Cervantes |
| Formation | 25 January 1825 |
| Website | pj.poder-judicial.go.cr |
The president's responsibilities include convening and presiding over sessions of the Full Court, overseeing the implementation of its decisions, representing the Judiciary before the other branches of government and national and international organizations, and directing policies aimed at the administration and modernization of the judicial system. The office also carries responsibility for safeguarding judicial independence and promoting transparency, impartiality, and access to justice.[1]
Since the Supreme Court was established in 1825 as the Superior Court, there have been 55 presidencies. The first was José Simeón Guerrero de Arcos y Cervantes (1826–1827).
List of presidents of the Supreme Court
| No. | Name | Notes | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office vacant (1825–1826) | |||
| 1 | José Simeón Guerrero de Arcos y Cervantes | First Regent of the Superior Court of Costa Rica. | 1826–1827 |
| Office vacant (1827–1829) | |||
| 2 | Agustín Gutiérrez y Lizaurzábal | Elected in 1829, position ended in 1830 as a new Superior Court was elected according to a constitutional reform | 1829–1830 |
| 3 | José Sacasa y Méndez | Elected in 1830, resigned in 1831 | 1830–1831 |
| 4 | José Simeón Guerrero de Arcos y Cervantes | Elected in 1831, suspended in 1832 | 1831–1832 |
| 5 | Atanasio Gutiérrez y Lizaurzábal | Elected in 1832, position ended in 1833 as a new Court was elected according to constitutional reform | 1832–1833 |
| 6 | José Simeón Guerrero de Arcos y Cervantes | Elected in 1833, abandoned in 1836 and Superior Court was dissolved | 1833–1836 |
| 7 | Luz Blanco y Zamora | Interim Regent (1836–1837) | 1836–1839 |
| 8 | Pedro César y Urroz | 1839–1841 | |
| 9 | Luz Blanco y Zamora | 1841–1842 | |
| 10 | Manuel Mora Fernández | Position ended after Coup d'état that year (August–September) | 1842 |
| Office vacant (1842–1843) | |||
| 11 | Ramón Castro y Ramírez | 1843–1844 | |
| 12 | Luz Blanco y Zamora | 1845–1846 | |
| 13 | Eusebio Prieto y Ruiz | Appointed by Senate in 1846 | 1846–1847 |
| 14 | Rafael Ramírez Hidalgo | Elected as Regent of the Superior Court in 1847 | 1847–1850 |
| 15 | Juan Mora Fernández | Resigned | 1850–1854 |
| 16 | Rafael Ramírez Hidalgo | 1854–1856 | |
| 17 | Vicente Herrera Zeledón | 1856–1860 | |
| 18 | José María Castro Madriz | 1860–1866 | |
| 19 | Manuel Alvarado y Barroeta | Appointed to finish the 1864–1868 term | 1866–1868 |
| 20 | José Gregorio Trejos Gutiérrez | 1868–1869 | |
| 21 | Juan José Ulloa Solares | Regent between 1869–1873; President of the Supreme Court after 1870 when the Court was reorganized | 1869–1870 |
| 22 | José María Castro Madriz | 1870–1873 | |
| 23 | Vicente Sáenz Llorente | Interim President (1873–1874) | 1873–1876 |
| 24 | Eusebio Figueroa Oreamuno | 1876–1878 | |
| 25 | Miguel Macaya de la Esquina | 1878–1880 | |
| 26 | Rafael Orozco González | 1880–1886 | |
| 27 | José Antonio Pinto Castro | Appointed by Congress 1886–1890; died in office | 1886–1887 |
| – | Vicente Sáenz Llorente | Interim President | 1887–1888 |
| 28 | José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón | Elected to end Pinto's term, resigned in 1889 | 1888–1889 |
| – | Vicente Sáenz Llorente | Interim President | 1889–1890 |
| 29 | Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno | Resigned before time in 1892 due to President Rodríguez's dissolution of Congress | 1890–1892 |
| – | Ramón Carranza Ramírez | Interim President | 1892–1894 |
| 30 | Manuel Vicente Jiménez Oreamuno | 1894–1898 | |
| 31 | José Joaquín Rodríguez Zeledón | 1898–1902 | |
| 32 | Manuel Vicente Jiménez Oreamuno | 1902–1904 | |
| 33 | Alejandro Alvarado García | Resigned one year before ending his term | 1904–1915 |
| 34 | Benito Serrano Jiménez | 1915–1916 | |
| 35 | Ezequiel Gutiérrez Iglesias | 1916–1917 | |
| 36 | Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra | 1917–1920 | |
| 37 | Nicolás Oreamuno Ortiz | 1920–1934 | |
| 38 | Octavio Béeche Argüello | 1934–1935 | |
| 39 | Luis Dávila Solera | 1935–1938 | |
| 40 | Víctor Guardia Quirós | 1938–1945 | |
| 41 | Enrique Guier Sáenz | Until 8 May 1948 | 1945–1948 |
| 42 | José María Vargas Pacheco | May 8–11; Appointed by ruling Junta; resigned soon after | 1948 |
| 43 | Gerardo Guzmán Quirós | Appointed by ruling Junta | 1948–1949 |
| 44 | Jorge Guardia Carazo | 1949–1955 | |
| 45 | Fernando Baudrit Solera | Died in office | 1955–1975 |
| 46 | Fernando Coto Albán | 1975–1983 | |
| 47 | Ulises Odio Santos | 1983–1986 | |
| 48 | Miguel Blanco Quirós | 1986–1990 | |
| 49 | Edgar Cervantes Villalta | 1990–1999 | |
| 50 | Luis Paulino Mora Mora | 1999–2013 | |
| 51 | Zarela Villanueva Monge | First woman to hold the office. | 2013–2017 |
| 52 | Carlos Chinchilla Sandí | 2017–2018 | |
| 53 | Fernando Cruz Castro | 2018–2022 | |
| 54 | Orlando Aguirre Gómez | 2022 – present | |
