This is the hall where civil disputes, inheritances, contracts, and conflicts that often drag on for years and wear out entire families are settled. Gisela Agurto Ayala assumes the position of principal magistrate of the Third Chamber of Administrative and Labor Litigation, which is responsible for reviewing cases where the State and its administrative acts are in dispute with citizens or companies. Gisela del Carmen Agurto Ayala is a graduate of Santa María la Antigua University, with a master's degree in Law from Tulane University in the United States. From early on, without much protocol for the general public, the Supreme Court of Justice has new faces. Gisela Agurto Ayala and Carlos Ernesto Villalobos Jaén took their oaths as magistrates. Gisela Agurto Ayala enters the Third Chamber of Administrative and Labor Litigation, occupying the position left vacant by Cecilio Cedalis. Agurto will now be in this hall, in her robe and with long case files. On the other side, Carlos Ernesto Villalobos Jaén assumed his post in the First Civil Chamber, replacing magistrate Ángela Russo. She also holds a postgraduate degree in Civil Procedural Law and has received important recognitions, such as the Ascanio Mulford Medal from the National College of Lawyers and distinctions from the Banking Association of Panama and the Panamanian Association of Business Executives. Both jurists were appointed by President José Raúl Mulino and subsequently ratified by the National Assembly with broad legislative support, paving the way for them to officially assume their duties today. Prior to this appointment, she served as an alternate magistrate in the same chamber, and her career includes positions such as a judge in the Maritime Court, a judge in municipal civil courts, and an alternate magistrate of the Family Court. This is a heated chamber, with complaints against the State, labor disputes, and cases where people feel they are fighting the system alone. Her experience exceeds 40 years in the Panamanian judicial system, which gives her weight and respect within the legal community.
