The Justice of Aragón was orinally a Judge, who was responsible for mediating in conflicts between nobles and the King, or between the nobles themselves. This figure has its origins in The Court Judge, who first came into existance around 1162.

This figure became more relevant from 1221 and the position gained importance after an Assembly which met in 1265 in Ejea de los Caballeros, in which the noblemen convinced King Jaime I to raise ten articles to the status of regional laws.

In the old Kingdom of Aragón The Justice presided over the Assembly of Aragón in the absense of the Monarch. It was his responsibility to take the oath of The Monarch in the Cathedral of La Seo in Zaragoza. Furthermore The King had to pledge allegiance to the Regional Law of Aragón and to swear to carry it out.

A Judge was chosen by both citizens and King to be Justice, as well as interpreter and prime defender of our Laws. In 1591 this last mission was the origin of an event that is known as the “Alteraciones de Aragón” (The Aragonese unrest), which would lead to the execution of the Justice Juan de Lanuza on the 20th of December of that same year, when he negated the entrance of the troops of Felipe II, who were heading towards Aragón to detain the ex-secretary to the Monarch, Antonio Peréz.

The institution was definitively abolished in 1711, with the proclaiming of the Decrees of Felipe V, but returned in 1982 with the Statute of the Aragonese Autonomy, although it did not have the same role as it had orinally had

Nowadays, The Justice is chosen by The Assembly of Aragón, for a period of five years. As well as defending the rights of the Aragonese people, it has two other missions which distinguishes it from all the other ombudsmen, which are to oversee of the legal affairs of Aragón and the defense of the Statute of the Autonomy.

Another big difference is that he is the third most important figure in the Autonomous Community of Aragón, equivilent in status to the President of the Assembly of Aragón and the President of the Government of Aragón. As has already been stated he is in charge of defending the rights of the citizens in the face of the Administration and is not able to mediate in private disputes.