The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is once again investigating Judge Manuel Ruiz de Lara, who was previously reprimanded by the council for calling Pedro Sánchez a “psychopath without ethical limits,” but was ultimately not sanctioned. Sources from the council indicate that during its last meeting on December 18th, they decided to refer a message posted by Ruiz de Lara on his X account on December 14th accusing Sánchez of practicing “coupism” by “attacking the judges,” quoting an editorial published that day by El Debate. In a tweet published on Saturday, Ruiz de Lara referred to Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, as “Barbigoña,” prompting a swift condemnation from socialist leaders, with the PSOE demanding disciplinary action against the judge.
Ruiz de Lara, who presides over the Madrid Mercantile Court 11, has been launching scathing criticisms against Pedro Sánchez, his ministers, progressive judges of the Constitutional Court, the Attorney General, and media and journalists for years. In November 2023, he deleted his X account after EL PAÍS reported on his messages calling Sánchez a “psychopath without ethical limits” and “pathological liar.” The CGPJ, which at the time had its mandate extended for five years and was led by a conservative majority, opened an investigation but ultimately closed it on the grounds that it was not proven that the judge used his position to disseminate such comments. Since then, Ruiz de Lara has posted over 500 messages escalating his attacks against the government and its allies.
The message under investigation by the CGPJ was shared shortly after the President accused the PP of “playing with marked cards in justice.” Ruiz de Lara retweeted an editorial from El Debate titled “Attacking justice is coupism, Mr. President” and added his own commentary criticizing Sánchez. The president of the disciplinary commission proposed bringing the message to the attention of the disciplinary authority, Ricardo Conde, who was appointed during that session. The plenary unanimously accepted the proposal, and Conde will conduct an initial investigation to determine if the judge should be disciplined or not. The new CGPJ, elected last summer with a progressive majority, has a new approach, but will wait for the disciplinary authority’s recommendation before taking action.
A message posted by Ruiz de Lara on December 28th, where he joked about being appointed as Minister of Justice by Sánchez, sparked outrage among PSOE leaders, including Minister of Finance María Jesús Montero and Secretary of Equality Pilar Bernabé. Montero called the comments “intolerable” and stated that they were not innocent jokes but rather “sexist, regrettable, and shameful.” The PSOE issued a statement calling for disciplinary action against Ruiz de Lara for once again crossing the boundaries of decency. The party stressed that such behavior not only disrespects individuals but also undermines public trust in the judicial institutions, emphasizing the importance of judges being responsible for their actions both inside and outside the courtroom.
In response to Ruiz de Lara’s actions, the PSOE emphasized that judicial independence does not mean impunity and warned that justice should serve the citizens, not personal interests or political attacks. The party underscored the importance of maintaining respect within the judiciary to uphold public confidence in the legal system. The PSOE denounced Ruiz de Lara’s behavior as damaging to the entire institution he represents and stressed the need for judges to be held accountable for their conduct, highlighting that attacks on individuals and institutions erode the foundations of democracy.
