CHILE · COURTS EXPLAINED
Key Facts
- The country Chile is a South American democracy whose Supreme Court has 21 members and can remove judges.
- Who he is Daniel Urrutia is a Santiago criminal-court judge with a long record of public disputes with his superiors.
- What happened On Wednesday 28 October 2026 the Supreme Court removed three judges over trips abroad during sick leave.
- Why it matters The court says it has now removed 18 judges under Article 80 of the Constitution.
- What it means for you No direct effect on US business; it shows how Chile’s top court polices its own judges.
- Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 63.6 points (October 2026 edition).
Daniel Urrutia, one of Chile’s most disputed judges, is among three judges the Supreme Court removed on Wednesday 28 October 2026, his lawyer says. The court acted over trips abroad made during medical leave.
Our report on the court’s decision has the day’s news, and this guide explains the man and the history behind it. A separate explainer on how Chile removes judges covers the legal rules.
Who Judge Daniel Urrutia Is
Daniel Urrutia has been a Chilean judge since the early 2000s and sits on the Seventh Garantía Court of Santiago. He is unusually public for a judge, active on social media and outspoken on human rights.
His first big clash came in 2004, in a diploma paper on the military regime of 1973 to 1990. He argued that the judiciary should make amends for its role in human rights abuses.
The Supreme Court called parts of the paper inadequate and unacceptable, and in March 2005 an appeals court censured him in writing. In May 2005 the Supreme Court reduced that to a private reprimand, then cancelled it in 2018 as an exercise of free expression.
On 27 August 2020 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled against Chile in his case. It found violations of his freedom of expression and right to a fair hearing, and ordered compensation.
Why Urrutia Became Controversial
On 25 March 2020, citing the pandemic, Daniel Urrutia eased the jail terms of 13 detainees in the Primera Línea case. He moved them to house arrest or similar measures; Primera Línea, the front line, is the name for protesters who clashed with police in 2019.
The Court of Appeals of Santiago reversed him, returned the detainees to prison and suspended him while it ran an inquiry. In June 2023 the Supreme Court confirmed a reprimand for him.
In December 2022 the honor tribunal of the National Association of Magistrates, a judges’ professional body, suspended him from membership for six months. He had told a Constitutional Convention commission, part of the assembly that drafted a constitution voters rejected, that judges joined the repression of protesters.
In early 2024 he allowed video calls and conjugal visits for inmates at a high-security prison. The prison service appealed, the Court of Appeals of Santiago annulled the permissions and in March 2024 it opened an inquiry into his conduct.
In August 2025 the same appeals court took him off cases in which the Municipality of Santiago is a party. The mayor had argued that he lacked impartiality.
The Daniel Urrutia Removal and the Two Trips
Local reports say the case rests on two trips made during psychiatric sick leave: Costa Rica in January 2020 and Ecuador in October 2022. The first was to attend a hearing in his own case at the Inter-American Court.
He has said the Ecuador trip was for treatment in a therapeutic community, and his defense says both trips were linked to medical treatment. In May the Court of Appeals of Santiago dropped the discipline against him on both trips, finding them time-barred.
The Supreme Court acted under Article 80, which asks whether a judge has kept good behavior. Its president, Gloria Ana Chevesich, announced on 28 October that the full court had found three judges failed that test.
Chevesich said the names will be published only once the rulings are final. Reports and Daniel Urrutia’s own lawyer, Carlos Quezada, say Urrutia is one of the three.
Quezada called the decision a serious error and an unfair settling of scores. He said the defense will use every legal remedy available.
How Chile Disciplines Its Judges
Chile has several disciplinary tools, set out in the Organic Courts Code, the law that governs the courts. Courts of appeals can censure a judge in writing, as happened to Daniel Urrutia in 2005, and the Supreme Court can reduce a sanction.
Article 80 of the Constitution lets the Supreme Court remove a judge who has not kept good behavior, by a majority of all its members. With 21 members, that means at least 11 votes, and the court says the total removed is now 18.
The 28 October decision covered five removal files that had stalled when the Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional questions, suspended them. The full Supreme Court had heard the cases and the defenses, then voted over two sessions, on 19 and 28 October.
The court removed one judge unanimously and two by divided votes. It rejected two removals, one by majority and one because that person was not working as a judge when the leave was taken.
What Happens Next for Daniel Urrutia
Reports say Daniel Urrutia is suspended from his duties while the written ruling is drafted. The court has said the names will come out once the rulings are final.
His defense had earlier asked to annul the vote, arguing that the procedure in the Organic Courts Code was not followed. Chevesich said an ordinary court will hear that request at a later date.
What Is Not Known
The written ruling has not been issued, so the court’s detailed reasons and each justice’s vote are not public. The court has not published the names of the three judges.
An ordinary court has yet to hear the annulment request. Daniel Urrutia’s defense has not said what its other legal steps will be.
What It Means for US Readers
There is no direct effect on trade, travel or US investment in Chile. For US companies and expats, the case shows who decides whether a judge keeps the job: the top court itself.
In the United States, federal judges can be removed only by impeachment in the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. Chile gives that power to its own Supreme Court.
More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Daniel Urrutia?
Daniel Urrutia is a Chilean judge of the Seventh Garantía Court of Santiago, a criminal court. He has been a judge since the early 2000s and has a long record of public disputes with his superiors.
Why was Daniel Urrutia removed?
The Supreme Court acted under Article 80 of the Constitution, which requires judges to keep good behavior. Local reports link the case to two trips abroad during medical leave, to Costa Rica in 2020 and Ecuador in 2022.
Did the Inter-American Court side with Daniel Urrutia?
In 2020 it found that Chile violated his freedom of expression and right to a fair hearing in a 2005 case over a diploma paper. That case is separate from the removal.
Can Daniel Urrutia challenge the removal?
His defense says it will use every legal remedy and has asked to annul the earlier vote. Chevesich said an ordinary court will hear that request at a later date.
How many Chilean judges has the Supreme Court removed?
The court says 18 judges have been removed under Article 80, including the three announced on 28 October 2026. The latest five cases all involved trips abroad on medical leave.
Sources: Poder Judicial de Chile, Supreme Court plenary decision on five removal files, 28 October 2026, 28 October 2026; Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Urrutia Laubreaux v. Chile, official summary, 27 August 2020, 27 August 2020; Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Urrutia Laubreaux v. Chile, full judgment, 27 August 2020; Constitution of Chile, Article 80, Library of Congress of Chile, 2026; Organic Courts Code, Library of Congress of Chile, 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief