Vicente Gimeno Sendra was among the youngest people to join the Constitutional Court, entering at thirty-nine. An illness cut short his life in November 2020, at seventy-one. A lawyer with a distinguished record in teaching, research, and defending fundamental rights, his legacy endures through his honorary role as Judge of the Constitutional Court and as a principal mind behind the Quick Trials Act, among other contributions. His memory remains vivid for those who knew him and benefited from his teaching.
The Akdeniz Foundation, where Gimeno Sendra served on the Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2020, recently honored his memory by creating a prize for legal studies that will be awarded posthumously. This year, a conference room at the Aula de Cultura de Alicante will bear his name, a tribute within the foundation where conferences and congresses are held.
Both decisions were taken after his passing and are now taking final shape. Dozens of figures from the Spanish legal field are expected to attend. The event will be opened by Luis Boyer, president of the Mediterranean Foundation, and will include a tribute to Gimeno Sendra, with his widow Cristina Bevia present. The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, is slated to speak at the conclusion of the ceremony.
Among the notable attendees named for the commemorative events are members of the jury for the Vicente Gimeno Sendra Award, to be held in the Easter room. The list includes former President of the Court of Accounts, the Supreme Court, the General Council of the Judiciary (1990-1996), and the Constitutional Court (2011-2013); Victoria Ortega Benito, President of the General Assembly of Lawyers; Juan Carlos Lopez Coig, who has served as a prosecutor for the Supreme Court since 2014 and previously as Alicante District Court Attorney General; Jose Maria Asencio, Professor of Procedural Law at the University of Alicante; Luis Maria Cazorla Prieto, Professor of Financial and Tax Law, State lawyer, and current Secretary General of the Spanish Stock Exchanges and Markets; Yolanda Gomez, director of the Center for Political and Constitutional Studies and Professor of Constitutional Law; and Rafael Simón, the Secretary General of the Akdeniz Foundation. Gimeno Sendra’s sons, José Vicente and Jordi Gimeno Beviá, serve as jurors with technical support from the two; they are also lawyers.
The absence of the current President of the Constitutional Court, Candido Conde-Pumpido Touron, was excused. He would have attended, but the visit of the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea was planned as a formal engagement instead.
Others present will include Gabriela Bravo, Minister of Justice, Interior and Public Administration; Juan Carlos Ceren, President of the Alicante District Court; Jorge Rabasa, Attorney General of the Alicante District Court; Vicente Magro, a Supreme Court judge; Amparo Navarro, rector of the University of Alicante and law professor; Jaume Ferrer, Dean of the UA Faculty of Law; Carmen Escolano, Dean of the UMH Faculty of Legal Sciences; and deans from the Alicante Bar Association (ICALI) such as Fernando Candela, as well as Diego Garcia from the Elche Bar Association (ICAE).
a great legacy
Jose Vicente Gimeno Sendra (Gandía, 1949 – Alicante, 2020) served as a constitutional court judge from 1988 to 1998 and taught Procedural Law at UNED. After earning the distinguished Doctorate Award at the University of Valencia in 1977, he worked as a lawyer and as an adviser to the Ministry of Justice. Carlos V led the European Institute of Legal Sciences, and Gimeno Sendra published well over a hundred articles. His career was decorated with many honors, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica, the Cross of Honor of the Order of San Raimundo de Peñafort, and the Medal of the Constitutional Order of Merit.
Boyer recalls Gimeno as having both human and professional quality. They studied together at Escolapios in Gandía and later crossed paths again in Valencia and Alicante. Boyer stressed that Gimeno joined the Akdeniz Foundation Board of Trustees during a period of uncertainty in business, contributing without hesitation and cooperating fully from the first moment; he faced every challenge head-on.
Boyer notes that Gimeno fought for democratic principles and fundamental rights and helped modernize the Administration of Justice. This tribute, through the naming of a room and the creation of an award, honors that effort. The project’s name is intended to reflect Spain’s renewed momentum in the legal field and its public dimension within the Mediterranean Foundation.
Professor Yolanda Gómez considers the actions a well-deserved tribute to a distinguished lawyer whose academic legacy is significant. Her years of collaboration with UNED highlighted Gimeno’s deep understanding of fundamental rights, which enriched the Department of Constitutional Law and fostered close cooperation with colleagues in those years. Her perspective suggests the initiative will yield valuable insights and interpretations of rights in the present era.
Rafael Simón, secretary general of the Fundación Mediterráneo, described Gimeno as a pioneer in many respects. He will be remembered for shaping the first Constitutional Court in Alicante and for his role in advancing the Alicante University Procedural Law Chair. He is remembered as a great teacher.
Prize
The Vicente Gimeno Sendra Award, focused on legal work related to fundamental rights, offers 9,000 euros. The submission deadline is September 15. The winning paper will be published by Thomson Reuters Aranzadi and presented at the Law and Legislative Academy on the recommendation of juror Luis María Cazorla. The prize continues Gimeno Sendra’s enduring influence on the study and defense of fundamental rights in Spain.