Legal expert considers Dominican Republic a model for human development

Santo Domingo — I met him in 2019, shortly before he was appointed president of the World Jurist Association (WJA), the universal alliance of jurists that was born at the height of the Cold War, in a conversation between Sir Winston Churchill, Earl Warren, then Chief Justice of the United States, and Charles Rhyne, president of the American Bar Association. The three agreed it was essential to launch a universal mobilization of all men and women of law to promote the rule of law as an alternative to the rule of force.

President and founder of Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados and member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (RAED), recognized by the Independent Foundation as Universal Spaniard 2024. Javier Cremades, born in southern Spain, with roots in the Levante region, a simple man who tries to hide the achievements of his professional career, recognized by many as a universal globetrotter for good causes, answers my questions while on a plane to the Dominican Republic to inaugurate the WJA Congress, to be held May 4-6.

• Is there any reason why the Dominican Republic was chosen as the venue for the World Law Congress 2025?

• Yes, the Dominican Republic offers a very interesting model for the region and for the world of human development based on the rule of law. It has solid institutions that can continue to be strengthened, separation of powers, political pluralism and pluralism of information, low polarization, and alternation in the exercise of executive power—in short, a constitutional system that has allowed for peace and freedom, with respect for fundamental rights.

• With President DoTrump’s sump’sent term in office, how do you see the state of the rule of law in the United States?

• The United States is a vibrant democracy. The American people elected their president, and he had a program of radical change. We must respect that. We must be vigilant because power always tends to avoid the limits imposed by law, tends to perpetuate itself, and then becomes corrupt. The US system of checks and balances is excellent and well-established. It will work. In the meantime, we must support the judiciary, the weakest government branch.

• How important are constitutional courts for democracy?

• Constitutional justice is the jewel of constitutionalism because, thanks to it, the legislative, executive, and judicial branches are monitored to ensure that they submit to the Constitution, the essence of the rule of law. Without that control, human dignity would be sacrificed on the altar of the Leviathan of the state. Only with constitutional justice can the system ensure the ConstConstitution’sacy and its anthropocentric characharacter’sctiveness.

• What consequences could this confrontation between the Trump administration and the US justice system have?

• There has always been tension between the executive and judicial branches, the latter being the weaker. We, the citizens, must support the judiciary, as the opposite would have catastrophic consequences.

• I am struck by the fact that a panel on religious freedom will be held at this WJA 2025 Congress.

• Yes, it is one of the fundamental freedoms. In the public sphere, there is freedom to believe and worship God and not to believe. It is a universal fundamental right that must be protected.

• From the point of view of justice, what is your opinion on FrancFrancis’ncis’tion towards pedophiles in the Catholic Church?

• I think he was courageous, very courageous, and humane, continuing the work begun by John Paul II and especially by Benedict XVI. Francis has drawn a line in the sand with protocols and, above all, with the decision to place the victim at the center, not only of the process but also of the listening and acceptance aimed at comprehensive reparation.

• Freedom of expression is one of the pillars of universities in the free world. What measures would you”put  “on t”e “able” to “safeguard this right?

• It is the most important challenge facing democracies today. Paradoxically, the more access to information there is thanks to digitalization, the more difficult it is to access the truth. Without that, the sovereign people cannot make decisions.

• There are migrants—the majority—who flee their countries plagued by hunger and scarcity, as has been happening in Latin America. Others are victims of war. You have proposed legal solutions to be implemented by international organizations and the governments of developed countries that negotiate with dictators to try to stop or reduce the waves of migration without violating the human rights of the victims.

• It is a fundamental issue. Border control needs to be balanced with the humane treatment that we are all obliged to provide; this is the balance that good governance must achieve. We can all be migrants. Hopefully, no one will ever be forced to leave their land, roots, and closest family ties. But it happens, and we must respond rationally and humanely.

• What contribution does Javier Cremades hope to make at this meeting in the Dominican Republic?

• To remind people that the rule of law is the only guarantee against the abuse of power. Either we are governed by laws, or we are governed by force. For the rule of law to exist or continue, we citizens must demand compliance with the law and, if possible, set an example ourselves. The law cannot do everything, but without the law, nothing can be done. If we want to maintain the freedom we enjoy, we demand that everyone, including each one of us, respect the Constitution. That is the lesson we want to continue teaching. Peace can only be guaranteed through the law.