After the fall of Ficha Limpia, a government ally presented a bill to expand the Supreme Court.

The day after the failure of the Clean Sheet in the Senate, and while accusations were being leveled between La Libertad Avanza and the PRO (Progressive Party), a legislator allied with the Casa Rosada (Presidential House) presented a bill to expand the Supreme Court of Justice at the Congressional incoming committee, which is viewed favorably by the Kirchnerist bloc.

The initiative was presented by Juan Carlos Romero , a member of the federal bench from Salta. The bill consists of a single article that establishes that "the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation shall be composed of seven (7) judges, of whom no more than five (5) shall be of the same sex." This means that there must be at least two women.

As Clarín reported, the expansion of the Court is an issue that dialogue leaders and Kirchnerists had been pushing for, even before the fall of the Ariel Lijo and Manuel García Mansilla petitions, precisely as an option to avoid that outcome.

Those with closer ties to the government believe they discussed the issue months ago, that the ruling party expressed its willingness to discuss it, but that they never made any progress. That's why now, they say, they are directly driving it.

"We care about the functioning of the branches of government. We encourage this, and also the functioning of the National Audit Office and the Ombudsman's Office, and for that, political dialogue is necessary," Romero told Clarín. He clarified: " The government is not promoting this, but as legislators, it is our duty to propose laws. The Constitutional Affairs Committee is the forum to discuss this and see if there is consensus for it to move forward."

Romero spoke with all the factions before presenting it, including the Union for the Homeland , which welcomed it. "We think it's fine. The number of seven is appropriate, although ours want to guarantee at least three women. It's debatable ," notes a prominent figure within that bloc.

However, Kirchnerists point out that, regardless of the number of members of the Court, the candidates are still proposed by the Executive Branch, so everything will continue to depend on the names it chooses and how much it is willing to give up to reach the two-thirds required in the chamber. The truth is that with a broader negotiating table, it is easier to allocate seats.

"We're discussing it among ourselves, but there's no endorsement," confirmed the La Libertad Avanza party. "Romero has been raising the issue for some time," acknowledged the PRO party, which, in principle, has no objections.

Critics like Martín Lousteau claim the idea is tied to the collapse of the Clean Record project and is part of a pact between the LLA and Kirchnerism. "The government is negotiating with Kirchnerism, the judiciary, the Supreme Court judges, and the Attorney General, which is why they made a pact, and the people of Misiones voted against it," he stated this week.

The Executive Branch hasn't echoed the project . But in August of last year, Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona stated in an interview with the Mendoza-based media outlet MDZ: "I would like an expanded Court. Harmonious and fair. I love the judges who are here. I think there are more first-class judges to make up a very good expanded Supreme Court." When asked specifically how many members he envisions, he stated "between seven and nine." "Traditionally, that number has fluctuated throughout Argentina's history," he clarified.

Last June, Guillermo Francos told Clarín : "One might think that the Court, in its current composition, might need more members, right? But I suppose that will be a political decision of the President of the Nation, who will have to express it in due time."

The number of members of the Court has fluctuated throughout history between five, seven, and nine. In the 1960s, it had seven members; during the Menem administration, it was increased to nine; and during the Kirchner administration, it was reduced to five.

But in 2022, during Alberto Fernández's administration and with Cristina Kirchner leading the Senate, they pushed for an expansion, and the bill, which increased the number of judges from 5 to 15, was finally approved, even though the original bill proposed 25 judges: one per province. It never advanced in the Chamber of Deputies.

In its rationale, Romero's text establishes that "the expansion of the Court's membership will grant greater legitimacy and speed up its rulings, given that, currently, despite the record number of rulings issued in 2024, it remains a bottleneck of cases still awaiting judgment."

"Promoting a more comprehensive Supreme Court, ensuring competence and equal representation, is the cornerstone of this bill, and I therefore invite my colleagues to support it with their signatures," Romero concludes the text, which was submitted to the intake desk on Thursday night and forwarded to the Constitutional Affairs and Justice and Criminal Affairs Committees on Friday.

Currently, following the failure of the decree-appointed appointments of Lijo and Mansilla (who resigned after his nomination in the Senate fell), the Court operates with three judges: Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz, and Ricardo Lorenzetti.

Article 108 of the Constitution provides for the existence of the Supreme Court, but does not specify the number of justices that must serve on it. This is a decision of the Legislative Branch.

Romero also presented, along with Corrientes native Carlos "Camau" Espínola, a bill that would reduce the terms of the auditors of the AGN to four years, an organization that is on the verge of paralysis. The terms of the representatives of the House of Representatives have expired, and no agreement has been reached to elect their successors. And the auditors elected by the Senate also expire this year.