Panama court president defends judicial independence, says rulings not based on public wishes

Panama's Supreme Court President María Cristina Chen Stanziola has defended the judiciary's role in issuing rulings, emphasizing that decisions are rooted in legal analysis rather than public sentiment.

"Courts cannot issue rulings based on what people want, but on what is constitutionally correct after an analysis," Stanziola stated. She clarified that the court's decisions stem from a thorough examination of constitutional controversies presented to them, free from external pressures, sympathies, or public dissatisfaction.

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the courts cannot issue rulings based on what people want, but on what is constitutionally correct after an analysis that the court makes.

Stanziola's remarks came after China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, raised concerns at the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly regarding a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the concession of the Balboa and Cristóbal ports unconstitutional. The ambassador urged Panama to protect the interests of Chinese businesses.

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the court cannot react, because constitutionally we have a reservation that we cannot speak about our rulings. However, I want to take this moment to educate and explain to the population that the court is the guardian of the Constitution and as such has a fundamental role to fulfill.

While the court president cannot freely comment on specific rulings due to constitutional reservations, she stressed the importance of educating the public about the judiciary's function. "The court is the guardian of the Constitution and as such has a fundamental role to fulfill," she explained, aiming to clarify the Panamanian judicial body's purpose without engaging in conflict.

She reiterated that the court's duty is to rule in accordance with the Constitution, regardless of whether its decisions are met with approval or rejection. The guarantee for citizens, she asserted, lies in the court's ability to avoid influence from public opinion and instead arrive at a correct decision through deep analysis.

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There will always be someone who likes the ruling and there will be people who do not like the ruling, but the guarantee for citizens is that the court does not let itself be influenced by those opinions that people have or those desires that people have, but rather rules correctly after a very deep analysis that leads it to a conclusion and based on that conclusion a decision is made and that is the role of the courts.