Manuel Marchena Gómez is a Spanish judge who has led the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court since 2014 and has been a key figure in major criminal jurisprudence in Spain. He has been a member of the Supreme Court since 2007 and presided over the trial in the procés case, making him one of the most visible judicial figures in Spain’s recent political and legal history.
Professional career
Manuel Marchena Gómez was born in 1959.
He became a judge of the Supreme Court in 2007, joining Spain’s highest court in its criminal jurisdiction. From that point onward, he took part in the Supreme Court’s work on major criminal matters and appellate review.
In 2014, he was appointed President of Chamber Two (Criminal) of the Supreme Court, a position he has held since then. Chamber Two is the court’s criminal chamber and deals with high-level criminal appeals and cases involving persons with special legal status, depending on jurisdiction and procedure.
Between 2017 and 2019, Marchena presided over the trial court panel in the procés trial, the Supreme Court proceedings concerning the Catalan independence process. The case became one of the most significant constitutional and criminal proceedings in modern Spain.
As president of the Criminal Chamber, he remains one of the leading judges in Spanish criminal justice, with responsibility tied to the chamber’s institutional leadership and adjudicatory activity.
Public relevance and open cases
Marchena has been a prominent public figure in Spain since at least 2017, when he became the presiding judge in the procés trial. That case attracted intense national and international attention because it involved senior Catalan political and institutional leaders and raised questions about criminal law, public order, and constitutional politics.
His public visibility also stems from his role at the head of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber, which places him at the centre of major criminal appeals and cases involving institutional power in Spain.
Open judicial proceedings
No open judicial proceedings involving Manuel Marchena Gómez are included in the known data provided for this profile. If any complaint, investigation, or disciplinary matter exists, it is not verified here and is therefore omitted.
Final convictions
No final conviction of Manuel Marchena Gómez is indicated in the known data provided for this profile.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Manuel Marchena Gómez? He is a Spanish judge and the current President of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, a position he has held since 2014.
Why is Manuel Marchena Gómez well known? He became widely known for presiding over the procés trial at the Supreme Court between 2017 and 2019, one of the most significant cases in recent Spanish politics.
What is Chamber Two of the Supreme Court? Chamber Two is the Criminal Chamber of Spain’s Supreme Court. It deals with criminal jurisdiction at the highest judicial level and is led by its president.
Has Manuel Marchena Gómez been a Supreme Court judge for a long time? Yes. He has been a judge of the Supreme Court since 2007.
Is Manuel Marchena Gómez currently under investigation or charged in a criminal case? No open judicial proceedings are identified in the verified information used for this profile, so no such case is stated here.