The Court of Appeals of La Serena

Origins, Installation and First Decades of Operation (1845-1875)

Abstract

This article examines the creation and installation of the Court of Appeals of La Serena and its first years of operation, based on official documentation, specialized literature, and national and local historiographical texts. Thus, this work reviews the parliamentary debate of the law that originated it in 1845, where it was discussed whether it was the right time to create courts of appeals outside of Santiago. It also refers to the postponement of its establishment and how its effective installation was verified in 1849, which made it the second oldest appellate court in the country and the first outside the capital of Chile. Then, it reports on the resources it had when it started its functions and in the following years, reconstructing the list of its members and subordinate personnel between 1849 and 1875, and the difficulties of having an adequate building. Finally, it refers to the role that corresponded to it during the transition period towards the national codified law. The work extends its analysis until 1875, with the promulgation of law of organization and attributions of the courts, which initiated important adjustments in the organic structure of the Chilean judiciary system.