15 Criminal Court Judge Positions 2026: Who Can Apply and How to Request Them

Key data

The General Council of the Judicial Power announces 15 positions for access to the Judicial Career in the Judge category through the turn of jurists of recognized competence in the criminal order. The call, approved by the Permanent Commission on June 9, 2026 and published in the BOE on June 15, opens a direct opportunity for criminal law professionals with established careers who want to join the judiciary without going through the traditional judicial career opposition.

What does this regulation establish?

This call regulates the selection process to fill 15 Judge positions through the so-called "turn of jurists of recognized competence", a path of access to the Judicial Career provided for in the Organic Law of the Judicial Power for professionals with extensive proven experience in a specific legal field. In this case, the specialty is the criminal jurisdictional order.

The call establishes the following position reserves:

• One third of the 15 positions is reserved for Court Administration Lawyers of first or second category.
• 1 position is reserved for persons with disability equal to or greater than 33%.

A relevant aspect is that this call is considered unitary together with those of the same turn for other jurisdictional orders (civil, administrative-contentious, social). This means that it is not possible to participate simultaneously in several specialties: the candidate must choose only one.

Applications will be submitted preferably electronically through the general access point of the Administration. The deadline begins on October 1, 2026 and lasts 20 business days.

Economic and operational impact

For candidates, the most relevant impact is of a professional and long-term economic nature: accessing the Judicial Career as a Judge means joining a body with remuneration, stability, and projection typical of the judicial function, very different from those of most of the profiles that can compete (practicing lawyers, university professors, prosecutors).

From an operational point of view, candidates must take into account:

• The accreditation of more than 10 years of professional practice in criminal law is an essential requirement and must be documented correctly.
• The choice of specialty is irrevocable during the process: whoever opts for the criminal turn cannot compete simultaneously for the civil, administrative-contentious, or other turns.
• The 20 business day deadline from October 1, 2026 is strict. Submitting the application outside the deadline implies automatic exclusion.
• The electronic route is the preferred one, which means having a digital certificate or Cl@ve for processing.

Who does it affect?

The following professional profiles can compete in this call, provided they accredit more than 10 years of specialized practice in criminal law:

• Practicing registered lawyers with criminal law practice.
• Prosecutors with experience in the criminal order.
• Court Administration Lawyers of first or second category (with specific reserve of one third of the positions).
• Legal officials with practice in criminal law.
• Trainee judges who meet the specialization and experience requirements.
• Full-time university professors in criminal law areas.
• Persons with disability equal to or greater than 33% who meet the other requirements (with reserve of 1 position).

Practical example

A registered criminal law lawyer with 14 years of uninterrupted practice in criminal defense and proceedings before the National Court decides to submit her candidacy. She must do so between October 1, 2026 and the end of the 20 business day deadline, preferably electronically. Since this is a unitary call with other jurisdictional orders, she cannot apply simultaneously for the civil turn even if she also has experience in that area. If admitted and passes the selection process, she accesses the Judicial Career directly with the Judge category, without needing to pass the traditional judicial career opposition.

A Court Administration Lawyer of first category with 12 years of experience in criminal courts also has the advantage of competing for the specific reserve of one third of the positions, which reduces effective competition in their quota.

What should candidates do now?

1. Verify compliance with the experience requirement: Accredit more than 10 years of professional practice in criminal law. Gather the documentation that proves it (bar association certificates, contracts, appointments, certificates of services rendered).
2. Confirm professional category: Court Administration Lawyers must verify if they are of first or second category to benefit from the position reserve.
3. Choose specialty in advance: Since the call is unitary with other jurisdictional orders, decide whether to compete for the criminal turn or another before the application deadline opens on October 1, 2026.
4. Prepare electronic signature or Cl@ve: Preferred submission is electronic through the general access point. Check that the digital certificate is valid before the deadline begins.
5. Mark the deadline on your calendar: The 20 business day deadline from October 1, 2026 is non-extendable. Calculate the exact deadline and do not wait until the last moment.
6. Consult the complete call in the BOE: Review the specific requirements, required documentation, and complete procedure in BOE-A-2026-12915.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is merely informative in nature and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-12915