The President of the TSJR, Javier Marca, today publicly presented the annual report corresponding to 2023, which includes the activity of the Rioja judicial bodies during the past year. Javier Marca, previously, delivered the report in person to the President of the Government, Gonzalo Capellán, and the President of Parliament, Marta Fernández.
Marca, in its presentation of the 2023 Report to the media, has classified the 2023 financial year as “a year of lights and shadows” because, although it is true that during the past year the pendency has increased significantly, there are also judicial bodies, such as the Provincial Court, that have reduced their cases in processing. Marca has listed up to 12 achievements of the Riojan Justice, among which the low litigation and crime that has been recorded stands out. He has also highlighted that La Rioja has the fewest pending cases of all the single-provincial autonomous communities.
Needs
There are still needs in the Riojan judicial system. And in this sense, Javier Marca has once again expressed, both to the president of the regional Government and to the president of the Parliament of La Rioja, the need for the eighth Court of First Instance in Logroño, as well as the creation of the third position of Magistrate in the Social Room of the TSJR. A demand that will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for the creation of positions for magistrates and judicial bodies.
The numbers
During the past year, the 37 Judges and Magistrates who practice in La Rioja have resolved 26,444 cases compared to the 30,218 resolved in 2022. That is, 12.5 percent less.
The low resolution recorded is fundamentally due to the strike that the Lawyers of the Administration of Justice (LAJs) maintained for two months as well as the strikes carried out by Justice officials. A few days of strike that in our territory have been greatly supported by the different groups, which has caused the activity in the Riojan Courts and Tribunals to drop to a minimum during the days of strike. This, together with the increase in cases filed, a total of 33,101, which represents an increase of 1.8% more than in 2022, shows a significant pending. As of December 31, 2023, there were 23,044 pending matters, which is 42.4% more than in 2022.
Despite these high pending figures, La Rioja continues to be the single-provincial autonomous community with the lowest volume of pending cases in all of Spain.
Six Magistrates in the Provincial Court
Among the various judicial bodies, it should be noted that the Provincial Court has resolved 1,362 civil and criminal matters, 6.2% more than the previous year and has managed to reduce the pendency by 13.0%. In 2022 there were 1,007 pending cases and in 2023 they have dropped to 876. This decrease in cases being processed is due to the sixth Judge who has been working in this collegiate body since January 1 of last year.
Floor clauses and competitions
For their part, the Courts of First Instance 6 and 7 of Logroño have resolved, since 2017, a total of 4,888 cases regarding floor clauses and general contracting conditions; practically all of those that have been presented by citizens, which have reached a total of 5,051 procedures as of December 31, 2023. In this type of litigation, La Rioja has one of the highest overall resolution rates in Spain with a 96.8% resolution of the volume of those admitted. 95.6% of the sentences in this matter have been affirmative.
It is also worth highlighting the increase in competitions presented. A total of 182 compared to 97 in 2022. A figure that was not even reached during the financial crisis that began in 2008 and ended in 2015.
Litigation and Crime Rates
Regarding the Litigation Rate, we continue to be, together with the Basque Country, the territories with the least litigation. In 2023, the rate recorded was 103.9 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 145.7. We are also one of the safest Autonomous Communities. In 2023 the Crime Rate has been 38.0 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, when the registered national average is 50.8.
Gender, Family and Minor Violence
Another index that we can highlight is that of gender violence. In La Rioja we register 58.9 victims per 10,000 women, when the national average has reached 79.4. Reports of gender violence increased by 10.1% last year. Likewise, protection orders have also increased by 13.0%. A total of 338 women have needed protection during the past year after reporting being victims of gender violence.
In Family, practically the same cases have been filed as in 2022, with a total of 1,092 cases compared to 1,103 the previous year. A situation that has also occurred in the Juvenile Court. During 2023, 235 cases against minors have been processed compared to 215 in 2022.
