Call for an Ordinary Jurisdictional Session of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador called for an ordinary jurisdictional session on June 27, 2024, at 11:30 a.m., in the plenary session room of the Constitutional Court in Quito. This call was made by the President of the Court, Alí Lozada Prado, in accordance with Article 193, numeral 2 of the Organic Law of Jurisdictional Guarantees and Constitutional Control. The purpose of this session was to address a series of nationally relevant legal issues, including proposals for constitutional amendments, international treaties, actions of unconstitutionality, and cases of non-compliance and protection.

The session began with the verification of the quorum to ensure that there were enough judges present to proceed. Once the quorum was verified, the session was formally installed. Next, the agenda was read and approved, formally reviewing and approving the plan of topics to be addressed. Subsequently, the minutes of the previous ordinary jurisdictional session were approved, thus ensuring the continuity and legality of the Court's procedures.

At the core of the session, several jurisdictional resolution projects were discussed and approved. These resolutions were crucial as they determined the Court's stance on various cases presented for consideration. Additionally, relevant official communications were presented and debated, allowing the judges to stay informed on important matters and coordinate future actions.

One of the highlights of the session was the discussion of proposals for constitutional amendments and international treaties. For example, the proposal for a constitutional amendment (case 3-24-RC) was reviewed, which defined the processing procedure in accordance with Article 101 of the Organic Law of Jurisdictional Guarantees and Constitutional Control, with Judge Enrique Herrería Bonnet as the rapporteur. The opinion on the "Constitutive Treaty of the Community of Police of America" (case 8-24-TI) was also evaluated, with Judge Alejandra Cárdenas Reyes as the rapporteur.

Another key point of the session was the evaluation of actions of unconstitutionality of normative acts. One example was case 68-20-IN, which questioned the constitutionality of Article 26 of the Organic Law of Public Companies, with Judge Richard Ortiz Ortiz as the rapporteur. Likewise, the request for the unconstitutionality of several articles of the Ministerial Agreement of the Ministry of Water and Environment (case 122-21-IN) was examined, with Judge Daniela Salazar Marín as the rapporteur.

Regarding actions of non-compliance, cases such as 237-22-IS were addressed, which dealt with the compliance of a decision of the District Court of Administrative Litigation of Quito, with Judge Jhoel Escudero Soliz as the rapporteur. Another case was 30-23-IS, related to resolution 1233-2006-RA issued in 2008, with Judge Carmen Corral Ponce as the rapporteur. The compliance of a ruling of the Provincial Court of Justice of Napo (case 91-23-IS) was also reviewed, with Judge Alí Lozada Prado as the rapporteur.

Extraordinary protection actions were also discussed. For example, case 1776-17-EP (confidential) was analyzed, which challenged a decision of the Specialized Civil and Commercial Chamber of the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas, with Judge Karla Andrade Quevedo as the rapporteur. Case 265-20-EP was also reviewed, which contested a ruling of the Specialized Civil and Commercial Chamber of the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas, with Judge Daniela Salazar Marín as the rapporteur.

Finally, reentries and the follow-up of rulings were addressed. One case was 2054-20-EP, which contested a ruling of the National Court of Justice, with Judge Enrique Herrería Bonnet as the rapporteur. Another case treated was 1776-21-EP, which challenged rulings of the Criminal Guarantees Court of Machala and the National Court of Justice, with Judge Alejandra Cárdenas Reyes as the rapporteur. Additionally, case 1911-21-EP was reviewed, which contested a ruling of the Provincial Court of Justice of Guayas, with Judge Richard Ortiz Ortiz as the rapporteur. The session also included the verification of compliance with previous rulings by the Technical Jurisdictional Secretariat, ensuring that judicial decisions were effectively implemented.

The main objective of this ordinary jurisdictional session of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador was to maintain the constitutional and legal order of the country through the review and resolution of important legal matters. It was expected that the judges would approve the minutes of the previous session and the agenda, ensuring the continuity of the Court's work. Additionally, decisions on proposals for constitutional amendments and international treaties were anticipated, determining their constitutionality and the appropriate procedure for their processing. Likewise, requests for the unconstitutionality of normative acts were evaluated and resolved, thus protecting constitutional rights and ensuring respect for the superior regulations. Actions of non-compliance and protection were ruled on, ensuring the compliance of previous judicial rulings and the protection of fundamental rights. Finally, the compliance of previous rulings was supervised, ensuring that judicial decisions were implemented effectively.

In summary, this session reflected the commitment of the Constitutional Court to the protection of constitutional order and the guarantee of citizens' rights, addressing a variety of legal issues of great importance to the country.