TITLE III.

CHALLENGES AND EXCUSES OF JUSTICES, JUDGES, ASSESSORS, AND ASSISTANTS OF SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR COURTS, AND THE ABSTENTION OF THE PROSECUTING OFFICIALS.

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.

ART. 52. Justices, judges, and assessors, whatever be their grade or rank, may be challenged only for a legitimate cause.

ART. 53. In criminal matters only the following persons are permitted to challenge:

The prosecuting officials.

The private accuser or his legal representatives.

The accused.

Those civilly liable for a crime or misdemeanor.

ART. 54. Legitimate causes of challenge are:

1. Relationship by consanguinity or affinity within the fourth civil degree to any of the persons mentioned in the foregoing article.

2. The same relationship within the second degree to the attorney of any of the parties to the cause.

3. To be or have been denounced or accused by any of said parties as the principal, accomplice, or accessory to a crime or as a principal in a misdemeanor.1

4. Having been counsel for any of the parties, given a professional opinion on the case or any of its incidental issues, or having appeared in either as prosecutor, expert, or witness.

5. To be or have been the private denouncer or accuser of the challenging party.

6. To be or have been the tutor or curator of any of the parties to the cause.

7. To have been under the tutorship or guardianship of the parties mentioned in the foregoing number.

8. To have an action pending against the challenging party.

9. To have a direct or indirect interest in the cause."

'In order that there may exist a motive for the challenge in this case, it is necessary that the denunciation shall have all the requisites and produce all the effects necessary to proceed, by virtue thereof, with the proof of the acts included therein, according to a decision of the Supreme Court of April 12, 1886.

"In order that the cause for challenge under this number may be considered, it is necessary that the judge have a personal and direct interest in the cause from which this incident arises. (Decision of April 12, 1886.)

10. La amistad íntima.

11. La enemistad manifiesta.

12. Haber sido instructor de la causa.

ART. 55. Los magistrados y jueces comprendidos en cualquiera de los casos que expresa el artículo anterior, se inhibirán del conocimiento del asunto sin esperar á que se les recuse. Contra esta inhibición no habrá recurso alguno.

De igual manera se inhibirán, sin recurso alguno, cuando al ser recusados en cualquier forma estimasen procedente la causa alegada En uno y otro caso mandarán pasar las diligencias á quien deba reemplazarles.

ART. 56. La recusación podrá proponerse en cualquier estado de la causa, pero nunca después de comenzado el juicio oral, á no ser que el motivo de la recusación sobreviniere con posterioridad.

CAPÍTULO II.

DE LA SUSTANCIACIÓN DE LAS RECUSACIONES DE LOS JUECES DE INSTRUCCIÓN Y DE LOS MAGISTRADOS.

ART. 57. La recusación se hará en escrito firmado por letrado, por procurador y por el recusante si supiere firmar y estuviere en el lugar de la causa. El último deberá ratificarse ante el juez ó tribunal.

Cuando el recusante no estuviese presente, firmarán sólo el letrado y el produrador. En todo caso se expresará en el escrito concreta y claramente la causa de la recusación.

ART. 58. No obstante lo dispuesto en el artículo anterior, podrá el procesado, si estuviere en incomunicación, proponer verbalmente la recusación en el acto de recibírsele declaración, ó podrá llamar al juez por conducto del alcalde de la cárcel para recusarle.

En este caso deberá el juez de instrucción presentarse acompañado del secretario, que hará constar por diligencia la petición de recusación y la causa en que se funde.

Cuando fuese denegada la recusación, se le advertirá que podrá reproducirla una vez alzada la incomunicación.

ART. 59. El auto admitiendo ó denegando la recusación será fundado y bastará notificarlo al procurador del recusante, aunque éste se halle en el pueblo en que se siga la causa y haya firmado el escrito de recusación.

ART. 60. Cuando el recusado no se inibiere por no considerarse comprendido en la causa alegada para la recusación, se mandará formar pieza separada.

Esta contendrá el escrito original de recusación y el auto denega

10. Intimate friendship.

11. Manifest enmity.

12. Having conducted the preliminary investigation.

ART. 55. The justices and judges included in any of the cases mentioned in the foregoing article shall abstain from taking cognizance of the cause without waiting to be challenged. No remedy lies against this resolution.

In like manner they shall decline jurisdiction without remedy whatsoever when, on being challenged in any manner, they shall consider the alleged cause to be well founded. In either case they shall order the record to be transmitted to whosoever should substitute them.

ART. 56. The challenge may be interposed at any stage of the proceedings, but not after the oral trial has commenced, unless the cause of challenge shall have arisen thereafter.

CHAPTER II.

HEARING AND DECISION OF CHALLENGES OF JUDGES OF EXAMINATION

AND JUSTICES.

ART. 57. The challenge shall be in writing and signed by an attorney, by a solicitor, and by the challenging party, if he knows how to sign, and should be at the place where the cause is pending. The petition must be ratified by the latter before the judge or court.

If the challenging party be not present, only the attorney and solicitor shall sign. In every case the cause of challenge shall be stated clearly and explicitly.

ART. 58. Notwithstanding the provisions of the foregoing article, the accused may, should he be incomunicado, interpose the challenge orally when his declaration is received, or he may call the judge through the warden of the prison in order to challenge him.

In such case the judge of examination must present himself, accompanied by the secretary, who shall make a record of the written challenge and the cause therefor.

If the challenge be overruled, he shall be advised that he can renew the same when the incomunicación is raised.

ART. 59. A decree sustaining or overruling a challenge shall state the reasons therefor, and it shall be sufficient to notify the solicitor of the challenging party thereof, even though the latter be in the town in which the cause is being prosecuted and had signed the written challenge.

ART. 60. If the person challenged does not inhibit himself, not considering that he is included in the causes alleged for the challenge, he shall order a separate record to be prepared.

Said record shall contain the original written challenge and the ruling

torio de la inhibición, quedando nota expresiva de uno y otro en el proceso.

ART. 61. Durante la sustanciación de la pieza separada no podrá intervenir el recusado en la causa ni en el incidente de recusación, y será sustituído por aquel á quien corresponda con arreglo á la ley.

Si el recusado fuese un juez de instrucción, deberá éste, no obstante, bajo su responsabilidad, practicar aquellas diligencias urgentes que no puedan dilatarse mientras su sucesor se encargue de continuar la instrucción.

ART. 62. La recusación no detendrá el curso de la causa. Exceptúase el caso en que el incidente de recusación no se hubiese decidido cuando sean citadas las partes para la vista de alguna cuestión ó incidente ó para la celebración del juicio oral.

ART. 63. Instruirán la pieza separada de recusación:

Cuando el recusado sea el presidente ó un presidente de sala de audiencia territorial ó del Tribunal Supremo, el presidente de sala más antiguo; y si el recusado fuere el más antiguo, el que le siga en antigüedad.

Cuando el recusado fuere el presidente de una audiencia de lo criminal, el magistrado más antiguo de la sala de lo criminal de la audiencia territorial.

Cuando el recusado sea un magistrado de la audiencia de lo criminal ó territorial ó del Tribunal Supremo, el magistrado más antiguo de la respectiva sala ó tribunal; y si aquél fuere el más antiguo, el que le siga en antigüedad.

Si por consecuencia de la recusación de alguno ó algunos magistrados de audiencias de lo criminal no quedase en estos tribunales número suficiente para formar tribunal, corresponderá la instrucción de la pieza separada de recusación al magistrado más moderno de la sala de lo criminal de la audiencia territorial respectiva.

Cuando fuese juez de instrucción el recusado, instruirá la pieza de recusación el magistrado más moderno de la respectiva audiencia.

ART. 64. Formada la pieza separada, se oirá á la otra ú otras partes que hubiese en la causa, por término de tres días á cada una, que sólo podrá prorrogarse por otros dos cuando á juicio del tribunal hubiese justa causa para ello.

ART. 65. Transcurrido el término señalado en el artículo anterior, con la prórroga en su caso, y recogida la causa sin necesidad de petición por parte del recusante, se recibirá á prueba el incidente de recusación, cuando la cuestión fuese de hecho, por ocho días, durante los cuales se practicará la que hubiere sido solicitada por las partes y admitida como pertinente.

ART. 66. Contra el auto en que las audiencias ó el Tribunal Supremo admitieren ó denegaren la prueba, no se dará ulterior recurso.

denying the inhibition, an entry being made of all this in the original record.

ART. 61. While the separate record is being heard and determined the person challenged can not act in the cause nor in the issue of the challenge, and shall be substituted by the proper person in accordance to law.

If the person challenged be a judge of examination, he must, nevertheless, under his own liability, take such urgent measures as can not be delayed until his successor takes charge of continuing the examination.

ART. 62. The challenge shall not delay the course of the cause unless the issue of the challenge shall not have been decided when the parties. are cited for the hearing of some question or interlocutory issue or for the oral trial.

ART. 63. The separate record of challenge shall be prepared

By the senior presiding justice of chamber if the person challenged be the presiding judge or a presiding judge of a chamber of a territorial audiencia or of the supreme court; and if the judge challenged be the senior, by the one next below him in seniority.

By the senior justice of the criminal chamber of the territorial audiencia if the person challenged be the presiding judge of a criminal audiencia.

By the senior justice of the respective chamber or court if the person challenged be a justice of a criminal or territorial audiencia or of the supreme court; and if he be the senior, by the one next below him in seniority.

If, as a result of the challenge of one or more justices of the criminal audiencias, these courts should not have members sufficient to form a quorum, the preparation of the separate record shall pertain to the junior justice of the criminal chamber of the respective territorial audiencia.

The junior justice of the respective audiencia shall prepare the record of challenge when the judge of examination is challenged.

ART. 64. After the separate record has been prepared, the other party or parties to the cause shall be heard for a period of three days for each one, which period can only be extended for two days more when in the opinion of the court there be just cause therefor.

ART. 65. When the period fixed in the foregoing article has elapsed, as well as the extension in a proper case, and the cause is taken up again without the necessity of a petition by the challenging party, evidence on the issue of the challenge shall be admitted for eight days if the question be a question of fact, during which time the evidence submitted by the parties and admitted as pertinent shall be received. ART. 66. There shall be no remedy against rulings of audiencias or of the supreme court admitting or rejecting evidence.

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