Venezuela Appoints New High Court Packed With Government Allies

  • Over half of judges on new 20-member court are holdovers
  • Only two justices are alligned with various opposition groups

Outside the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela.

Photographer: Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg
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Venezuela’s government-controlled National Assembly on Tuesday appointed the justices who’ll comprise a new slimmed down Supreme Court, many of them holdovers from the previous court, in a nod to overhauling a judicial system that’s long been criticized for its lack of independence.

The assembly chose 20 magistrates in all, 12 of whom were re-appointed to the court, known as the TSJ, according to Caracas-based nonprofit Justice Access, but only two are aligned with opposition groups.