Argentina’s Javier Milei to bypass senate to name supreme court judges by decree | Libertarian leader’s use of controversial clause threatens to spark fight with opposition

> Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has said he will bypass the country’s senate to appoint two supreme court justice nominees by decree, in a move that risks inflaming political opposition to his government.

> Milei’s office said on Monday it would fill two vacant seats in the five-judge court by exercising a clause in Argentina’s constitution enabling the president to temporarily fill roles during congressional recesses that normally require senate approval.

> Argentina’s congress is in recess and due to restart regular sessions from Saturday. The terms of the constitutional clause mean the two appointees will be in place until senate sessions conclude at the end of November.

> The government had failed during earlier senate sessions to secure the two-thirds majority of votes required to confirm the two candidates, federal judge Ariel Lijo and law professor Manuel García-Mansilla, whom Milei first proposed in early 2024.

> Lijo’s nomination has proved controversial, with centrist parties accusing him of abusing judicial power, including by stalling corruption cases assigned to him — charges he has denied.

!ping LATAM