Skip to main content
- Minister, Castilla y León Regional Government
- Juan Carlos Suárez Quiñones Fernández (León, 1961) is a Spanish jurist and politician of the Popular Party, magistrate on leave and current Regional Minister of Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning of the Junta de Castilla y León (Spain).
Biography and education
He has a degree in Law from the University of León (class 1979-1984), with a degree obtained in 1985. He has a Certificate of Advanced Studies in the doctorate, with recognition of research proficiency.
Judicial and teaching career
He entered the judicial career in 1987 and was appointed magistrate in 1990. He was Senior Judge of León from December 2002 to February 2012, and elected member of the Governing Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León between 2004 and 2009. Between 2000 and 2012 he was coordinator and tutor at the Judicial School of the General Council of the Judiciary for trainee judges in Castilla y León, in addition to participating as a lecturer in training courses. He was also an associate professor in the area of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of León between 1996 and 2007, and 2013 and 2015.
Political positions
He was appointed Sub-Delegate of the Government in León in February 2012, a position he held until April 2015, when he was appointed Delegate of the Government in Castilla y León. In July 2015 he was appointed Regional Minister of Development and Environment of the Junta de Castilla y León. In 2019 he was re-elected as a Director, and in April 2022 he was reappointed as Regional Minister of Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning. He has been a solicitor in the Cortes of Castilla y León for the province of León since the X Legislature.
Publications, awards and distinctions
He has been a professor at the School of Legal Practice of León and in different master's degrees, and has published works in civil, criminal and procedural law. He has been a speaker at more than 200 congresses, conferences and training activities.
Distinctions
Medal as Professor of the Local Police Academy of León, granted by Decree of the Mayor of León on October 19, 1999.
First Prize in the 2002 edition of the Social Council of the University of León’s Contest on “Innovation in Teaching,” for participation in the research project on “The Practice of Criminal Justice and its Link to the Theoretical-Practical Learning of Real Criminal Cases in the Courts and Tribunals of Castile and León. Its Use for University Teaching of Criminal Law.”
Awarded the “Cross of the Order of Merit of the National Police Corps with White Distinction,” by Order of the Minister of the Interior on September 22, 2003.
Holder of the “Silver Cross for Merit of the Local Police Corps,” granted by the Plenary of the León City Council on October 26, 2004.
Awarded the “Cross with White Distinction of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard,” by Order of the Minister of the Interior on October 7, 2005.
Holder of the “Commendation of the Distinguished First Class Cross of the Order of San Raimundo de Peñafort,” granted by Order of the Minister of Justice on December 6, 2007.
Honorable Mention as finalist in the XXIV edition of the Doctrinal Articles Awards of La Ley (Wolters Kluwer Publishing), 2010, with the work “Administration of Justice and New Technologies. Present and Future.”
Honorable Mention in the First Edition of the Quality of Justice Awards, in the “More Transparent Justice” category, promoted by the General Council of the Judiciary in 2010, for the Citizen Service and Information Office of the Dean of the Courts of León.
Holder of the “Silver Cross of the Order of Merit of the Civil Guard,” granted by Order of the Ministry of the Interior on September 29, 2014.
