Rights
2010 Constitution with a Constitutional Court and amparo
The Constitution proclaimed in 2010 and reformed in 2015 created the Tribunal Constitucional, a dedicated constitutional court separate from the Suprema Corte de Justicia, with power to annul laws and to review final judgments through the recurso de revisión. Individual rights are enforced by the acción de amparo, heard at first instance by ordinary courts. The 2015 reform restored presidential re-election for consecutive terms, and a 2024 reform further adjusted the rules.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Unitary state; Tribunal Constitucional rulings bind all public powers
- Deadline — Acción de amparo: filed within 60 days of the act or omission becoming known
- Deadline — Recurso de revisión constitucional: 30 days from notification of the final judgment
Governing law
- Constitución de la República Dominicana 2010, reformed 2015
- Ley 137-11 Orgánica del Tribunal Constitucional
- Ley 107-13rights before the administration
In practice
The most consequential feature is that the Tribunal Constitucional can review final judgments of the Suprema Corte on constitutional grounds, which creates a further layer after what would otherwise be the end of the road. Its decisions are binding on all public powers and are not themselves appealable, and the 60-day amparo window is short and strictly applied.