María Cristina Chen Stanziola has been officially appointed as the President of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) for the 2026-2027 term, following a decision by the full panel of the country's highest court. The announcement was made in the Second Court's Hearing Room, where the choice of Chen was confirmed, who has already been sworn in by the outgoing president. Chen assumes the presidency at a crucial moment for Panama's judicial system, marked by high public expectations regarding judicial independence, case backlogs, and the strengthening of institutional justice. The position of Vice President remains to be decided. With the official designation of María Cristina Chen, the position of Vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice now needs to be defined, a role that will complete the board of directors for the 2026-2027 biennium. Judicial sources indicated that this decision will also be formally communicated by the Plenary, along with the guidelines that will mark the administrative and jurisdictional management of the highest court. A statement is expected from the new president in the coming hours regarding the priorities of her administration and the role the Supreme Court will face in the country's challenges, in a context where the performance of the judicial system remains under constant public scrutiny. María Cristina Chen Stanziola is a magistrate of the Third Chamber of Administrative and Labor Litigation of the Supreme Court of Justice, one of the institutionally most significant chambers as it decides the conflicts between citizens and the State... no small matter. She is a lawyer with solid academic training in Administrative Law. She has developed most of her career in the judicial and academic fields, with an emphasis on the legality of State acts. Chen joined the Supreme Court during the presidency of Laurentino Cortizo.
