Despite being a magistrate with a brilliant career, when he was just a Law student at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he graduated two years after the assassinations of the Atocha labor lawyers, Carlos Gómez (Madrid, 1957) did not know that he would end up dedicating his life to the judiciary. “I hadn't even considered it, because Franco was still alive and at that time being a judge meant being part of a repressive body”, explains the president of the Superior Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands.

It's one of Palma's most distinctive buildings, and practically everyone knows what's currently inside: the seat of the regional government; the Moncloa Palace of the Balearic Islands, so to speak. But what was the Consolat de Mar, which gave the building its name? It was the court that handled matters related to maritime trade for almost seven centuries and even survived the Nueva Planta decrees, which abolished all the other institutions of the islands. We commemorate the 700th anniversary of its founding, on February 1, 1326.

A common criticism of the judicial system is that it still operates "like in the 19th century." But now that could begin to change: throughout 2025, a law will be rolled out that aims to modernize the justice system and make it more efficient. The efficiency law will change how the courts are organized—even their names—and will introduce new measures designed to improve the protection of children and victims of sexual crimes. The new system will be implemented gradually in three phases—in June, October, and December—affecting smaller municipalities first and then larger cities.