The High Court of Justice of Aragon is the highest expression of the Judiciary in our autonomous community. It was constituted on the 23^rd of May, 1989, as a part of the judicial structure. The High Courts of Justice emerged with the plan envisaged in article 26 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary.

It is made up of three Chambers of Justice:

• Civil and Penal Chamber
• Contentious Administrative Chamber,
• Social Chamber

Civil and Penal Chamber

The Civil and Penal Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon deals with the penal cases against privileged citizens and with the investigation and ruling of cases opened against judges, magistrates and members of the Public Prosecution for crimes or offences committed in the exercise of their post, if this power does not correspond to the Supreme Court.

Also, it hears the appeals against sentences of the Jury pronounced by the Jury Courts of Huesca, Teruel and Saragossa and of the questions of competence among penal jurisdictional organs with seat in the region which do not have another common higher court.

The Civil and Penal Chamber is presided over by the chairman of the High Court of Justice of Aragon. Together with him/her, four magistrates form part of the Chamber. Two of them are members of the legal profession and the other two are appointed by the General Council of the Judiciary from a short list presented by the Courts of Aragon and made up of jurists of renowned prestige in the Community. After their appointment, the chosen candidates become, to all intents and purposes, members of the legal profession.

It is situated in the same seat of the High Court of Justice of Aragon

Contentious Administrative Chamber

The Contentious-Administrative Chamber is the supervising organ of the public administrations in the region of Aragon. It hears the appeals regarding the acts of local and autonomous entities, the appeals brought against the resolutions of the Contentious Courts, the questions of competence among these courts and the annulment appeals for the unification of doctrine or in the interest of the Law.

In Aragon the Chamber is made up of a total of seven magistrates divided into two sections, with each one being presided over by a chairman. The chair of the first section is occupied by the Chairman of the Contentious Administrative Chamber, and the second section by another magistrate who receives the title of “chairman of the second section of the Contentious Administrative”.

It is situated in the same seat as the High Court of Justice of Aragon

Social Chamber

The Social Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon is in charge of the processes which affect the interests of workers and business people, at a higher level than the social courts. Among its competences are also found the appeals against resolutions pronounced by Social courts and Mercantile courts in labour matters or in insolvency incidents that affect workers, as well as questions of competence among the social courts of the region.

The Social Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon is made up of a chairman and three magistrates.

It is situated in the same seat as the High Court of Justice of Aragon.

Governing Chamber

The Governing Chamber is the internal organ of government of the courts and tribunals of the region. Its main objective is the organization of the daily running of the courts and tribunals of the Autonomous Community. It is made up of ten members and is of a representative nature, as half of them are democratically elected by the judges and magistrates of the Autonomous Community.

The chairman of the Governing Chamber is the chairman of the High Court of Justice of Aragon. As well as him/her, the chairmen of the Contentious-Administrative Chamber and of the Social Chamber, the chairmen of the Provincial Courts, the Chief Justice of Saragossa and the secretary of the Governing Chamber, are also ex officio members.

This governing organ of the High Court has broad competence to organize the running of the courts and tribunals under its responsibility. Among its functions are:

To ensure that the posts of judges and magistrates in charge of said judicial organs are adequately covered.

To analyze the complaints put forward by the citizens regarding the administration of Justice.

• Revise the sanctions imposed by the judges on those involved in judicial proceedings.
• Propose inspection visits to the chairmen.
• Maintain institutional relations with other public administrations in order to improve the functioning of the administration of Justice.
• Draw up studies and proposals directed at the General Council of the Judiciary.