Political intervention and Spanish judiciary in the second republic

Abstract

This article discusses the legal, economic and social situation of the judiciary at the beginning of the Second Spanish Republic. It explains and tries to understand the reforms that the new regime carried out to purge this professional group. As in any political bankruptcy, the rulers at that time needed to rely on public servants, especially those who played important roles in the state, as were the judges. For this reason, several rules were enacted in order to get a true Republican judiciary system, such as the one to reduce the retirement age or the one to enforce the separation and retirement. These rules, and the political vicissitudes of this period, emphasized the role of the Spanish conservative judiciary, making it an enemy of the young republic. It would soon be clear at the beginning of the Civil War.