Sala IV

Since genetically modified crops first came to Costa Rica in 1991, the locations of farms have been kept under wraps. But a new ruling from Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court will now require that type of information to be made public.

Three recent rulings issued by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, prompted the Public Works and Transport Ministry to turn off the lights on three electronic billboards along major roadways in the Costa Rican capital.

All 53 lawmakers present at a Monday session of the Legislative Assembly voted in favor of removing Supreme Court Justice Óscar González Camacho from the bench, just days before González would have retired. The unanimous vote means González now will face a criminal trial on six counts of alleged rape and one count of attempted rape.

The Attorney General’s Office on Thursday advised Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, that it believes the appointment of Lutheran bishop Melvin Jiménez Marín as presidency minister violates a constitutional prohibition on active religious authorities serving on the presidential Cabinet.

Public hospitals in Costa Rica can refuse non-emergency care for self-employed workers who are behind in payments to the Social Security System, or Caja, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, ruled this week.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, on Wednesday admitted a citizen’s complaint over whether the appointment of Lutheran bishop Melvin Jiménez Marín as presidency minister is constitutional. Justices gave President Luis Guillermo Solís 15 days to formally respond.

A ruling issued last month by Costa Rica's Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, could set a precedent by allowing companies to block from their Facebook profiles users who post comments that affect the companies' commercial interests.

Anyone who has driven in San José's Greater Metropolitan Area, where train tracks merge with vehicular traffic – often without signage and safety gates – will likely praise the ruling.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, known as the Sala IV, revealed that over 30 prisoners incarcerated in the La Reforma maximum-security prison claimed to have been beaten and mistreated by penitentiary guards.

On Friday afternoon, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled that the Prosecutor’s Office and the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) broke the law when they traced a journalist’s phone calls. The decision served as a strong rebuke to law enforcement and reinforced Costa Rica’s long history of respect for press freedom.