Spanish Courts Come Under Increasing Strain Due To Financial Constraints

VALENCIA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 04: Public servants work on their desks of the Commercial Court number 3 on February 4, 2015 in Valencia, Spain. The Commercial Court number 3 of Valencia is one of the overloaded courts across Spain. Last year it received 1,600 lawsuits, five times its capacity set by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). The figures for the last study of the General Council of the Judiciary of Spain shows that 1,695 of the 3,894 courts of Spain are suffering a work overload greater than 150%. Some of them, mainly in the autonomous regions of Valencia, Andalucia and Madrid are reaching an overload of around 300%. According to the independent association, Jueces por la Democracia (Judges for Democracy) 92% of the judges are suffering stress and demand that the Spanish Government opens 815 new judge positions across the country. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)