Who is Marta Pascual, the Buenos Aires judge who suspended for 60 days the law lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 14

Marta Pascual became the focus of attention after suspending for 60 days the application in Buenos Aires province of a law that lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 14. The judge heads a Juvenile Criminal Responsibility Court in Lomas de Zamora.

Pascual was born and raised in Almirante Brown, Buenos Aires province. She studied law at the National University of La Plata and completed postgraduate studies in public law and judicial administration. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine.

Her career has moved between the judiciary, public administration and academia. She served as minister of Family and Human Development in Buenos Aires province during Eduardo Duhalde's governorship and chaired the Provincial Council for Minors. She also worked as a UNICEF consultant and led the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates.

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I feel joy, I feel emotion, my whole life is present here.

Pascual directs the Family Law specialization program at the National University of Lomas de Zamora and has taught at universities in Argentina and abroad. The National University Guillermo Brown said she led initiatives including the Digital Playing Fields Network, which trained vulnerable young people, and published more than 30 specialized papers. The university honored her with an honorary doctorate last year.

At that ceremony, held in June 2025, Pascual spoke about her commitment to children and vulnerable people. “I feel joy, I feel emotion, my whole life is present here,” she said. Former Almirante Brown mayor Mariano Cascallares praised the energy she brings to every responsibility and her daily commitment to ensuring that “all the kids have a new opportunity.”

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all the kids have a new opportunity