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Secretary of State for Justice (Spain)

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Secretary of State for Justice
Secretario de Estado de Justicia
Coat of Arms used by the Government
Incumbent
Manuel Olmedo Palacios
since 29 November 2023
Ministry of Justice
Secretariat of State for Justice
StyleThe Most Excellent (formal)
Mrs. Secretary of State (informal)
AbbreviationSEJUS
NominatorThe Minister of Justice
Appointer
Formation13 May 1994; 32 years ago (13 May 1994)
First holderMaría Teresa Fernández de la Vega
Websitemjusticia.gob.es

The secretary of state for justice (SEJUS) is a senior minister in the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes responsible for the government policy regarding justice.[1]

In this regard, the secretary of state assists the minister in the design of this policy and in the institutional relations with the bodies related to justice (General Council of the Judiciary, Prosecution Ministry, courts of justice, regional ministries of justice and with associations related to legal professions). It also supports the minister in all related to development of the legal system, international legal cooperation and civil registration.[1]

The secretary of state for justice is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the justice minister, after hearing the Council of Ministers. Since November 29, 2023, the officeholder is judge Manuel Olmedo Palacios.[2]

History

[edit]

The Secretariat of State for Justice was created on 13 May 1994, when the ministries of Justice and the Interior were merged.[3] The Secretariat was organized through a General Secretariat for Justice and several directorates general (Judicial Infrastructure; Registries and Notaries; State Legal Service—current Solicitor General—, Conscientious Objection; Codification and International Legal Cooperation; Religious Affairs).[4]

As of 1996, the restored Directorate-General for Relations with the Administration of Justice was integrated into it and the cabinet of religious affairs was elevated to the rank of directorate-general. Likewise, the General Secretariat of Justice was abolished and the Judicial Studies Center and the Judicial General Mutuality were assigned to the Secretariat of State for Justice.[5] The structure of the department was not touched again until 2001 when the Directorate-General for the Modernization of the Administration of Justice was created in its midst.[6]

Except for certain changes between its directorates-general, its structure was not modified until 2008, in which the General Secretariat for Modernization and Relations with the Administration of Justice (current SGAJ) was created as an intermediate body between the Secretary of State and some of its addresses general.[7]

In 2010, it underwent its most relevant modification and is still preserved today. The Solicitor General and the Directorate General of Registries and Notaries were directly attached to the Minister and the Secretary of State assumed the competences over international legal cooperation.[8] In 2015, the Office of Asset Recovery and Management (ORGA) was created and assigned to the Secretary of State. As of 2018, the powers of the ORGA are assumed by the Secretary-General for the Administration of Justice (SGAJ).

In 2020, the new justice minister, Juan Carlos Campo, renamed all the Ministry's departments. Despite the name change of the Secretariat of State's bodies, the responsibilities were the same, with the exception of those relating to religious freedom, which were transferred from the Directorate-General for International Legal Cooperation, Relations with Religions, and Human Rights to the Undersecretariat of the Presidency, and the legal security and notaries responsibilities, which were transferred from the Undersecretariat of Justice to the Secretariat of State.[9]

Organization

[edit]

As of 2026, this is the organization of the Secretariat of State:[1]

Secretariat of State Organization (2026)
Secretary of State Cabinet (Chief of Staff)
Centre for Legal Studies
General Mutual Benefit Society for the Personnel of the Administration of Justice
General Secretariat for
Innovation and Quality of the
Public Justice Service		 Technical Cabinet
Directorate-General for Efficiency of the Public Justice Service
Directorate-General for Digital Transformation of the Administration of Justice
Directorate-General for Legal Certainty and Public Attestation
Deputy Directorate-General for Innovation and Quality of the Judicial Administrative Office
Directorate-General for
International Legal Cooperation		 Deputy Directorate-General for International Legal Cooperation
Deputy Directorate-General for EU Justice Affairs and International Organizations

List of secretaries of state

[edit]

For the purpose of this list, the date used is the date on which the decree of appointment or dismissal received royal assent, which may differ from the date of publication or of the effective taking of office.

Name Term of Office Government Ref.
Start End Dura Prime Minister Monarch
María Teresa Fernández de la Vega
(born 1949)		 13 May 1994 7 May 1996 1 year, 360 days Felipe González

(1982–1996)
Juan Carlos I

(1975–2014)		 [10]
José Luis González Montes
(born 1947)		 10 May 1996 5 May 2000 3 years, 361 days José María Aznar

(1996–2004)		 [11]
José María Michavila
(born 1960)		 5 May 2000 12 July 2002 2 years, 68 days [12]
Rafael Catalá
(born 1961)		 26 July 2002 19 April 2004 1 year, 268 days [13]
Luis López Guerra
(born 1947)		 19 April 2004 16 February 2007 2 years, 303 days José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

(2004–2011)		 [14]
Julio Pérez Hernández
(born 1950)		 16 February 2007 27 February 2009 2 years, 11 days [15]
Juan Carlos Campo
(born 1961)		 27 February 2009 30 December 2011 2 years, 306 days [16]
Fernando Román García
(born 1960)		 30 December 2011 10 October 2014 2 years, 284 days Mariano Rajoy

(2011–2018)		 [17]

Felipe VI

(2014–present)
Carmen Sánchez-Cortés Martín
(born 1965)		 10 October 2014 18 June 2018 3 years, 251 days [18]
Manuel-Jesús Dolz Lago 18 June 2018 29 January 2020 1 year, 225 days Pedro Sánchez

(2018–)		 [19]
Pablo Zapatero Miguel
(born 1972)		 29 January 2020 7 December 2021 1 year, 312 days [20]
Antonio Julián Rodríguez Esquerdo
(born 1962)		 7 December 2021 28 November 2023 1 year, 356 days [21]
Manuel Olmedo Palacios
(born 1976)		 28 November 2023 Incumbent 2 years, 318 days [22]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Ministry of Digital Transformation and Civil Service (28 February 2024). "Real Decreto 204/2024, de 27 de febrero, por el que se desarrolla la estructura orgánica básica del Ministerio de la Presidencia, Justicia y Relaciones con las Cortes, y se modifica el Real Decreto 1012/2022, de 5 de diciembre, por el que se establece la estructura orgánica de la Abogacía General del Estado, se regula la inspección de los servicios en su ámbito y se dictan normas sobre su personal". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  2. ↑ El País (2023-11-27). "El Gobierno designa a Manuel Olmedo secretario de Estado de Justicia y a Sofía Puente como secretaria general para la Innovación y Calidad de la Justicia". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  3. ↑ "Royal Decree 973/1994, of May 13, which creates within the Ministry of Justice and Interior, the Secretariats of State for Justice, for the Interior and the Undersecretariat of Justice and Interior". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  4. ↑ "Royal Decree 1334/1994, of June 20, of basic structure, of the Ministry of Justice and Interior". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  5. ↑ "Royal Decree 1882/1996, of August 2, of basic organic structure of the Ministry of Justice". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  6. ↑ "Royal Decree 1321/2001, of November 30, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Justice is modified and developed". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  7. ↑ "Royal Decree 1125/2008, of July 4, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Justice is developed". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  8. ↑ "Royal Decree 1203/2010, of September 24, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Justice is developed". boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  9. ↑ "Royal Decree 453/2020, of March 10, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Justice is developed". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  10. ↑ Duva, Jesús (1994-05-11). "Belloch unificará parte de la estructura del Ministerio de Justicia e Interior". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  11. ↑ "González Montes tomó hoy posesión como Secretario de Estado de Justicia". www.servimedia.es (in Spanish). 1996-05-13. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  12. ↑ Aizpeolea, Luis R. (2000-05-04). "Rajoy nombra a Jorge Fernández como su 'número dos' y Michavila será secretario de Estado de Justicia". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  13. ↑ "Rafael Catalá, nuevo ministro de Justicia en sustitución de Gallardón". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  14. ↑ "El catedrático Luis López Guerra será el nuevo secretario de Estado de Justicia". El Periódico Mediterráneo (in Spanish). 2004-04-15. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  15. ↑ "El Gobierno nombra a Pérez Hernández secretario de Estado de Justicia y reemplaza a otros dos cargos de confianza". www.europapress.es. Europa Press. 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  16. ↑ "Juan Carlos Campo, nuevo secretario de Estado de Justicia". Cinco Días (in Spanish). 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  17. ↑ "Secretarios de Estado del Gobierno de Rajoy". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  18. ↑ "Los sevillanos Carmen Sánchez-Cortes y Antonio Dorado, al frente de Función Pública y la Secretaría General de Justicia". www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticia (in Spanish). 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  19. ↑ "El fiscal Manuel-Jesús Dolz Lago, nuevo secretario de Estado de Justicia". www.legaltoday.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  20. ↑ "Pablo Zapatero Miguel, nuevo secretario de Estado de Justicia". Confilegal (in Spanish). 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  21. ↑ "Lo adelantó Confilegal: Antonio Julián Rodríguez y Manuel Olmedo, nombrados secretario de Estado y secretario general de Justicia". Confilegal (in Spanish). 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  22. ↑ "El Gobierno designa a Manuel Olmedo secretario de Estado de Justicia y a Sofía Puente como secretaria general para la Innovación y Calidad de la Justicia". El País (in Spanish). 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
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