Chile's Supreme Court approved its first Judicial Code of Ethics during the 2025 Reflection Days, in response to the Hermosilla case scandal. The document, drafted by Minister Adelita Ravanales, is consultative and establishes an Ethics Council to guide judges' conduct. It applies to jurisdictional roles and addresses challenges like artificial intelligence use.
On Thursday, Supreme Court ministers gathered at the Marriott Hotel in Santiago at 8:30 a.m. for the first day of the 2025 Judicial Power Reflection Days. This 28th edition featured discussion of the first Judicial Code of Ethics, initiated by the plenum over a year ago following the Hermosilla case, which exposed ties between judges and political figures. The scandal led to the dismissal of one former supreme judge, the expulsion of a former Santiago Court minister, and the sanction of an appeals court magistrate facing a constitutional accusation.
Prior to the main discussion, the plenum reflected on the Judicial Power's perception and communication, with presentations by sociologist Eugenio Tironi, journalist Andrea Vial, and Argentine sociologist Kevin Lehmann. At 11:30 a.m., the code debate began, drafted by Minister Adelita Ravanales over more than a year, extending past 5:00 p.m. Spokesperson María Soledad Melo stated that modifications were made to the draft and the final text was presented for voting, reviewed paragraph by paragraph with required votes. Final approval occurred on Friday.
The code is consultative and establishes a parity Ethics Council composed of two first-instance judges, one appeals court minister, one supreme magistrate, and an external expert in applied philosophy or ethics. It will resolve doubts on judges' conduct, on its own initiative or by consultation, but will not examine complaints. Melo explained: “The idea of the Code of Ethics is that judges in general have the possibility, before an organ, to see what can and cannot be done within ethics, probity, and the principles that govern us.” She added that it will help “to try to avoid some situations like those we have experienced until now.”
The document applies to judges and lawyers in jurisdictional roles, not other officials, and covers technological challenges like artificial intelligence. On Friday, the plenum addressed the 2026-2030 strategic plan and updates to the Karin law. President Ricardo Blanco stressed the need to reflect in “moments of particular complexity, marked by rapid legislative changes, by the notable development in information exchange and use of technological tools.”