Magistrate Luis Henry Molina meets with judges and representatives of the New York Bar Association

On Wednesday, July 27, Luis Henry Molina Peña, president of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Judicial Council, received a visit from members of the board of directors of the Dominican Bar Association (DBA) and judges from the New York Judicial Department. 

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss on progress toward judicial reform in the Dominican Republic and to share best practices regarding digitization and justice, taking into account the experience of the Dominican judiciary and advances in virtual proceedings and the digitization of services in the courts of New York City. The discussion highlighted the technological changes in case management resulting from the pandemic and the experiences of judges and attorneys with electronic case management systems and virtual court hearings. 

Molina Peña welcomed the DBA delegation, led by Jamell Isidor, along with Judges Manuel Méndez and Patria Frías-Colón, accompanied by SCJ Justices Samuel Arias Arzeno and Francisco Ortega Polanco; César García Lucas, Secretary General of the SCJ; Dr. Dariel Suárez, Director of the National School of the Judiciary; and Javier Cabreja, Coordinator of Communications and Public Affairs for the Judiciary. 

At the meeting, the achievements of the Judiciary and the key areas outlined in the “Vision for Justice 20/24” Plan were presented, while the mission and vision—“Justice Today to Guarantee the Dignity of the People”—were also discussed. The presentation highlighted the level of trust achieved by the Dominican justice system, as measured by Latinobarómetro, which ranked it at 22% in 2017 and 36% in 2020.  

Justices Arias Arzeno and Ortega Polanco emphasized the importance of the visit and of continuing to maintain these ties of collaboration. 

Arias Arzeno emphasized that digitizing the justice system means overcoming the challenge posed by the significant digital divide in the Dominican Republic, since every citizen, no matter how limited their resources, has a cell phone at their disposal. 

Representing the New York DBA were Dorian Rojas, vice president; Alexis Colón, Patricia García, Stéfano Pérez, Valery Cury, Mayvel García, Jeanette Cepeda, Darlyn Ramos, Doralyn De Dios, Andrea Bonilla, Atenedoro González, Raquel Batista, and Robinson Iglesias. 

During their multi-day visit to the country, the international delegation will carry out a significant academic program with the National School of the Judiciary (ENJ), with which they signed a collaboration agreement. They also met with representatives from the Pontificia Católica Madre y Maestra University (PUCMM), the Iberoamericana University (UNIBE), and the Central del Este University (UCE). 

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