Family Law in Spain by María Encarnación Roca

María Encarnación Roca, Judge and Vice President of the Constitutional Court of Spain, lectures on “Family Law in Spain: From Women’s Limited Personal Status to Pioneering Same-Sex Marriage and LGBTQ Rights in 40 Years.”

In a short space of time, women’s and LGTBQ rights experienced enormous improvements in Spain, as well as in the rest of Europe. These changes reflected in national law are the result of social changes, and therefore supported by the political parties, independently from their ideology, and by sub-state actors.

Following the human rights’ interpretation provided by the Constitution and its implementation rules, Spanish law is a pioneer in same-sex marriage and the consequent civil and social rights. The discussion with Judge Roca will revolve around these legal and social changes surrounding women’s and LGBTQ rights in Spanish and European context.

María Encarnatión Roca has been the Vice President (since 2017) and Judge (since 2012) of the Constitutional Court of Spain. Prior to her current position, she was a judge for the Spanish Supreme Court. She has received awards by several lawyer’s associations and other civil society organizations for her work as a supporter of democratic values and freedoms. She has written a number of publications focused on family law and Catalan civil law.