500 new judicial positions in 2026: what changes for litigants and legal professionals

Key data

Spain strengthens its judicial capacity in one go: 500 new judicial positions come into force on the same day of their publication in the Official State Gazette, July 9, 2026. Royal Decree 559/2026 is the first major materialization of the new organizational model introduced by Organic Law 1/2025, which groups traditional single-judge courts into Courts of First Instance, allowing positions to be created without the need to establish complete new bodies.

For companies with ongoing litigation, law firms, legal advisors and any operator working with the courts, this decree represents a direct signal: greater installed capacity in the Spanish judicial system and, potentially, less waiting time in the resolution of proceedings.

What does this regulation establish?

Royal Decree 559/2026 acts on several fronts simultaneously within the Spanish judicial structure:

Creation of 500 new judicial positions

The positions are distributed among the following judicial bodies:

• Courts of First Instance (new model under Organic Law 1/2025)
• Supreme Court
• National Court
• Superior Courts of Justice
• Provincial Courts

The key to the new model is that, under Organic Law 1/2025, it is no longer necessary to create a complete judicial body to add capacity: it is sufficient to create positions within already existing Courts of First Instance. This reduces the administrative and budgetary cost of each new position.

Consolidation of temporary reinforcements as structural

The decree eliminates certain temporary reinforcements that had been operating on a temporary basis and converts them into permanent structural positions. This provides stability to judicial capacity in the courts that had them assigned.

Expansion of Sections on Violence Against Women

The jurisdiction of five Sections on Violence Against Women is expanded to new judicial districts in the following autonomous communities:

Other adjustments to the judicial structure

• Melilla: transformation of an administrative law position into a social law position.
• Quart de Poblet (Valencia): reactivation of a position that had been suspended since 2011.

Economic and operational impact

For companies and legal professionals, the impact of this decree translates into three concrete dimensions:

• Potential reduction in procedural timelines: more judicial positions implies greater resolution capacity. Civil, commercial, labor and administrative law proceedings could be shortened in the reinforced judicial districts.
• Budgetary efficiency of the model: the decree itself recognizes that the budgetary impact is mitigated thanks to the new organizational model of Organic Law 1/2025. Creating positions within already constituted Courts of First Instance is cheaper than creating new courts.
• Stability in courts with temporary reinforcements: the conversion of temporary positions into structural ones eliminates uncertainty about the continuity of certain courts, providing greater predictability to the procedural calendars of companies with ongoing litigation.

For law firms and legal advisors, the expansion of Sections on Violence Against Women in four autonomous communities implies a redistribution of territorial competencies that should be reviewed if matters are handled in those judicial districts.

Who does it affect?

• Companies with active litigation in any jurisdiction (civil, commercial, labor, administrative law): may benefit from greater procedural agility.
• Law firms and court officers: must review changes in territorial competency resulting from the expansion of Sections on Violence Against Women and the transformation of the position in Melilla.
• Legal advisors and compliance officers: the structural consolidation of positions affects the planning of long-term procedural strategies.
• Judges and magistrates: 500 new positions represent new posting opportunities and changes in the distribution of workload.
• Operators in Melilla: the change from administrative law jurisdiction to social law directly affects which body is competent for certain matters.
• Operators in Quart de Poblet: the reactivation of the position suspended since 2011 recovers local judicial capacity.
• Citizens and litigants in the judicial districts of Murcia, Catalonia, Córdoba and the Basque Country affected by the expansion of Sections on Violence Against Women.

Practical example

A company based in Murcia that has an ongoing labor proceeding in a judicial district that until now lacked a Section on Violence Against Women with local competency may see how, as of July 9, 2026, certain related matters are redistributed to the expanded Section. Its lawyer must verify whether the specific judicial district falls within the new expanded jurisdiction to avoid competency errors in future filings.

Similarly, a law firm with matters in Quart de Poblet (Valencia) regains access to a local judicial position that had been suspended for 15 years (since 2011), which can reduce travel and response times in local proceedings.

What should companies do now?

1. Review the judicial districts affected by the expansion of Sections on Violence Against Women in Murcia, Catalonia, Córdoba and the Basque Country to update territorial competency in ongoing matters.
2. Verify the impact in Melilla if you have active administrative law proceedings: the position is transformed into social law, which may alter the competency of the body.
3. Update procedural planning in Quart de Poblet if you have local matters, taking advantage of the reactivation of the position suspended since 2011.
4. Inform internal legal teams of the new Courts of First Instance model (Organic Law 1/2025) to adapt filings, notifications and procedural strategies to the new organizational scheme.
5. Monitor the specific assignment of the 500 positions as final destinations are published, especially in the bodies where the company has active litigation.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-14878