Justice and digitalisation
News that affects working with electronic case files – summarised, with sources. Costa Rica for now; more countries will follow.
Budget 2027: cut and freeze of Poder Judicial funds
The draft National Budget 2027 (file 25.754) allocates ₡530,973 million to the Poder Judicial, about ₡10,500 million (≈ 2 %) less than the adjusted 2026 budget. It also proposes to freeze ₡29,844 million (≈ 5.6 %) until certain conditions are met.
The budget committee (Hacendarios) approved the draft on 20 October; the plenary must vote by 29 November at the latest. The Corte Plena agreed to consult the Sala Constitucional on the freeze.
According to the press, judicial officials warned that without these funds technology services – including electronic notifications and online case access – could be affected in 2027.
What it means for your practice
Nobody knows yet how it will end. A complete, up-to-date copy of your case files on your own computer keeps you independent if online access becomes slower or is interrupted at times.
Sources
- delfino.cr – Presupuesto 2027: Hacienda recorta ₡10.500 millones al Poder Judicial (09/2026) ↗
- crhoy.com – Diputados dictaminan presupuesto ordinario 2027 (10/2026) ↗
- delfino.cr – Corte Plena acudirá a Sala IV por bloqueo de ₡29.843 millones (10/2026) ↗
- crhoy.com – Fiscal advierte riesgos de perder licencias por recortes (10/2026) ↗
Informative summary by FetchJ, without political judgement. FetchJ is an independent product; not a product of the Poder Judicial.