Argentina’s judicial tribunal unanimously removed federal judge Alfredo López from Mar del Plata on Wednesday for “misconduct” following a series of anti-Jewish statements and posts he published on X. According to local media covering the decision, this is the first time in the country’s history that a federal judge has been ousted for expressions of hatred toward the Jewish community.
The disciplinary proceedings were based on at least 15 different posts in which López called the Jewish people a “race of vipers” and “rats,” and accused Argentine citizens of Jewish faith of disloyalty to the state. The case was built following complaints filed by DAIA, the umbrella organization of Argentina’s Jewish community, and the Argentine Forum Against Antisemitism.
During the trial, López argued in his defense that this was “ideological persecution” and that his statements were protected under free speech as criticism of the war in Gaza. However, tribunal members rejected his arguments entirely and ruled that “a judge is not removed for his opinions, but because his public conduct damaged public trust, integrity, and the duty of neutrality of the judicial system.”
The decision sparked significant reaction in the political sphere. Argentine President Javier Milei praised the move and shared on social media the statement from Jewish organizations, which described the ruling as a historic event, clarifying that “antisemitism has a price.”