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Judiciary Reform – 1999

The referendum for the full package of constitutional amendments occurred on 16 May 1999. With low turnout, voters denied the proposed amendments related to the judiciary, along with all other proposed amendments.¹

Congress passed legislation to build the career judicial service on 27 October. Congress also developed consensus on the selection process for judges in the Supreme Court of Justice, and the new judges took office on 13 October. The first class (26 persons) of first instance and sentencing court judges graduated from the Judicial Training School in July. The Public Prosecutor’s Office completed the first stage in the restructuring of its district offices in May.²

1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/54/526), November 11, 1999.
2. “Tenth Report on Human Rights of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala,” United Nations General Assembly (A/54/688), December 21, 1999.