The latest official data on the use of Catalan in the administration of justice place the percentages at the lowest levels in recent historical series. The published reports reflect a downward trend in the use of this official language before the courts, a scenario that directly affects the judicial districts of the province of Lleida and the autonomous community as a whole.

The figures compiled by the competent bodies show that the percentage of judgments and rulings issued in Catalan stands at its lowest point in the last fifteen years. Those of us who write here note that this statistical reality contrasts clearly with the regulatory rollout and the financial resources allocated by public administrations to promote the institutional use of Catalan in the judicial sphere.

The decline of Catalan in the courts

The evolution of judicial statistics in Catalonia depicts a downward curve sustained over time. While the autonomous bodies maintain promotion programs and subsidy lines aimed at increasing the presence of Catalan in courts and prosecutors’ offices, the daily response of legal operators and citizens themselves reflects a progressive distancing.

Official data detail that the volume of judicial documents drafted in Catalan represents a clear minority compared to Spanish. This proportion is repeated both in the judicial districts of the Lleida regions and in the Catalan provincial capitals, where the usual processing of proceedings is carried out predominantly in Spanish.

The Department of Justice and Democratic Quality (Conselleria de Justícia i Qualitat Democràtica) has addressed these figures on repeated occasions. Minister Ramon Espadaler has publicly defended that the use of Catalan before the courts responds to the exercise of a legitimate right and has pointed out that the use of this language does not constitute a whim, but rather an option recognized within the current legal framework that institutions have the obligation to protect and facilitate.

The impact in the province of Lleida

For the citizens of Lleida, the administration of justice represents an essential public service that must guarantee legal certainty and the full comprehension of proceedings. The gap between the institutional supply and daily practice in the courts of Lleida highlights the difficulties in applying linguistic plans in an environment where the sociolinguistic reality shows remarkable diversity.

Legal and court professionals in Lleida point out that the choice of language in briefs and oral hearings usually responds to criteria of procedural agility, convenience for the parties, and majority use in daily practice, regardless of institutional campaigns or administrative guidelines. This circumstance generates a permanent debate on the effectiveness of linguistic promotion measures in highly formalized sectors such as the judicial one.

The evolution of these official records will continue to determine the allocation of resources and the effectiveness of normalization plans in the Lleida region over coming years.

X-ray of the judicial districts in Lleida

A detailed analysis of the data shows that the situation of Catalan is far from homogeneous throughout the territory of Lleida. According to information disseminated by media outlets such as Segre, the use of Catalan in judicial rulings continued downward in the demarcation during 2025, standing at 7.93% of the total, the lowest percentage recorded in the last fifteen years. However, this provincial average conceals very disparate realities depending on the judicial district in question.

At the most favorable end of the Lleida map, the judicial district of Balaguer stands out clearly. This demarcation leads the use of Catalan in the courts of Lleida and ranks as the fourth judicial district in all of Catalonia in terms of the percentage of judgments written in Catalan, issued through the e-justícia.cat system, reaching 33.7% of all its rulings. Following Balaguer in the province are the judicial districts of Solsona, with 25.54%, and Cervera, which records 24.5%.

At the opposite end of the provincial ranking are areas where the presence of Catalan in judicial rulings is testimonial or directly null. The judicial district of Lleida records 5.54% of rulings in Catalan, while in La Seu d’Urgell this percentage plummeted to 0.43% in 2025. Even more drastic are the data corresponding to Tremp and Vielha, where official Justice records indicate that not a single judgment was issued in Catalan during the fiscal year.

The retreat of Catalan is not limited exclusively to rulings issued by judges and magistrates, but extends transversally to initial briefs filed by professionals and the preferences expressed by citizens themselves in their proceedings.

The department’s report shows that only 6.12% of the claims filed before the judicial bodies of the demarcation were initially drafted in Catalan. Along the same lines, citizens and parties involved in litigation requested to receive legal documentation in the Catalan language in a scarce 8.06% of cases, evidencing that the social demand for this linguistic service remains at very low levels.

Regarding legal professionals, the Lleida Bar Association (Col·legi de l’Advocacia de Lleida) has representation in its court-appointed roster (turno de oficio) that participates in specific promotion programs. Specifically, 31.8% of the lawyers registered in the court-appointed roster are adherents to the program to promote the use of Catalan, which translates to 97 lawyers out of a total of 305 registered members.

Institutional measures and staff training

Faced with this scenario of historical lows, the Department of Justice has launched various initiatives aimed at reversing the trend and providing public operators with the necessary means. Minister Ramon Espadaler has insisted that equipping the administration with tools to guarantee the linguistic option does not respond to a whim, but rather to the fulfillment of legal obligations.

Among the measures adopted, training plans and Catalan courses specifically aimed at personnel serving the administration of justice stand out remarkably. Statistics provided by the department reflect a significant increase in the participation of public employees in these training programs. Over the past year, 38 enrollees were recorded in the province of Lleida, a figure that contrasts sharply with the 11 enrollees registered in the previous year of 2024.

This increase in participation has also translated into a direct increase in the effectiveness of the courses. A total of 23 people successfully completed Catalan training last year, comfortably surpassing the five people who managed to complete the training process a year earlier, an indicator that the administration trusts will consolidate to progressively improve service and drafting in judicial offices.