Motivación en las sentencias emitidas por los jueces de primer nivel en Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: This paper will analyze the legal reasoning of Judgment No. 17282-2023-01358, issued by the Criminal Judicial Unit of Iñaquito against LCS for the crime of illicit trafficking of marijuana, resolved through summary proceedings. It will determine whether the reasoning meets the standards of sufficiency, expediency, and guarantees established in the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code, and Ecuadorian law. This will be done through a qualitative approach and a legal documentary analysis, in which the structural elements of the judicial reasoning, the coherence between the proven facts, the evaluation of the evidence, and the application of the law will be reviewed. This analysis will allow us to identify whether the minimum jurisdictional requirements for the justification of a sentence are met and whether there are limitations in the assessment of the process and the proportionality of the sentence, which will help us to determine whether there is a clear, sufficient, and reasoned justification that guarantees due process, transparency, and the legitimacy of the Ecuadorian criminal justice system.