Are judges free to publicly express their opinions?

This is the starting premise of the summer course 'The judge's freedom of expression from judicial ethics in Spain' which will be taught on June 29 at the URJC

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The Rey Juan Carlos University brings together renowned magistrates, jurists and legal experts to discuss the degree of enjoyment of freedom of expression by the Spanish judiciary, in view of the Principles of Judicial Ethics that were agreed in 2016 by the Group of Labor for the elaboration of a Code of Ethics for the Judicial Career. "The objective is to encourage debate and reach valuable conclusions in order to strengthen the functioning of the Rule of Law in our country," explains Cristina Hermida del Llano, Professor of Philosophy of Law at the URJC and director of the course.

Among the topics that will be addressed in the round tables, one of particular relevance stands out: the freedom of expression of judges on social networks and the media. “The magistrates must act with prudence and moderation when they express themselves through networks such as Twitter, never criticize colleagues or other State powers, and be aware that, as judges, they are subject to the duty of independence, impartiality and moral integrity. ”, says Hermida del Llano.

Artificial intelligence is another matter that raises ethical-legal problems and that will be addressed during the course. "AI cannot become an end in itself, it is just a tool that can be useful for certain purposes, although it can never replace critical reflection and forms of moral argument."

This course is aimed at all those people who have an interest in the subject, regardless of their training, since to follow the presentations it is not necessary to have previous knowledge in Law. It is taught in dual modality: face-to-face and online through the Teams application. It is free and is recognized with 0,4 ECTS credits.