Lawyer Rui Ignacio said: ‘We are here to protest against the new judicial map, which will eliminate courts in the interior (of the country) and force people to have to travel a long way to get to a court.’ Ines Pereira, another lawyer, said: ‘The new law will not only lead to a lack of courts in the interior of the country but will also lead to further moroseness.’ 

Judicial processes

Fernando Jorge, director of the Court Clerks’ union in Portugal, said: ‘We believe the closure of courts will have negative effects, like causing some judicial processes to disappear. We do not currently have the necessary conditions to implement this law for September 1. The government has also recognized that there is a lack of at least 1,000 professionals.’ Source: Xinhua Net