Santo Domingo. – The National Magistrate Council (CNM) headed by president Leonel Fernandez began the televised interviews at 6:50pm Tuesday in the National Palace, to evaluate the first 20 of 103 candidates who seek one of the Constitutional Court’s (TC) 13 benches.
Among the 20 candidates figure five judges, two prosecutors and an assistant DA, and other lawyers, including 15 men and five women.
The candidates interviewed in alphabetical order were Hermógenes Bienvenido Acosta, Cristina Mercedes Laura Aguiar, Héctor Rafael Álvarez, Marcos Ricardo Álvarez, Héctor Arias Bustamante, José A. Ayuso, Pedro Virginio Balbuena, Máximo Manuel Bergés; Elena Berrido de Contreras and Juan Manuel Berroa.
Also José David Betances, Juan Alfredo Biaggi, Ana Isabel Bonilla, Manuel Ulises Bonnelly, Rafael Brito Benzo, Manuel Guarocuya Cabral, Francia Socorro Calderón, Ángel Salvador Canó, Ircania Ibelice Casado and Emilio Rafael Castaños.
The CNM’s other members are Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Subero Isa, Senate president Reinaldo Pared, Chamber of Deputies president Abel Martínez, Justice minister Radhamés Jiménez, Santo Domingo Appelate Court Prosecurot Víctor José Castellanos, Senator Félix Vásquez and Deputy Hugo Núñez.