Jorge Mario García Laguardia
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jorge Mario García Laguardia is a Guatemala
n jurist
.
He has been a tenured lecturer at several Guatemalan and foreign universities, including the Universidad de San Carlos
in Guatemala City
and the National Autonomous University of Mexico
,
and he has served the Guatemalan state in several juridical capacities.
García Laguardia's academic work has focussed on three main areas: the history of public law
, Latin America
n integration (particularly that of Central America
), and constitutional law
.
He spent a number of years in exile during Guatemala's Civil War
, lecturing and conducting research at the UNAM in Mexico City.
Between 1985 and 1989 he worked for the Costa Rica
-based Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
As the Guatemalan Civil War drew to a close, he returned to his country and was appointed a magistrate of the Constitutional Court; he was serving there during President
Jorge Serrano
's attempted "self-coup
" of 25 May 1993, when the Court was instrumental in preserving the country's constitutional order, preventing a military takeover, and installing Ramiro de León as caretaker president. After his time with the Constitutional Court, he was appointed to serve as the country's Ombudsman for Human Rights (Procurador de Derechos Humanos).
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n jurist
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
He has been a tenured lecturer at several Guatemalan and foreign universities, including the Universidad de San Carlos
Universidad de San Carlos
Universidad de San Carlos may refer to:*University of San Carlos, in Cebu, Philippines*Universidade Federal de São Carlos, in São Carlos, Brazil*University of San Carlos of Guatemala, based in Guatemala City...
in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
and the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
,
and he has served the Guatemalan state in several juridical capacities.
García Laguardia's academic work has focussed on three main areas: the history of public law
Public law
Public law is a theory of law governing the relationship between individuals and the state. Under this theory, constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law are sub-divisions of public law...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n integration (particularly that of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
), and constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
.
He spent a number of years in exile during Guatemala's Civil War
Guatemalan Civil War
The Guatemalan Civil War ran from 1960-1996. The thirty-six-year civil war began as a grassroots, popular response to the rightist and military usurpation of civil government , and the President's disrespect for the human and civil rights of the majority of the population...
, lecturing and conducting research at the UNAM in Mexico City.
Between 1985 and 1989 he worked for the Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
-based Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
As the Guatemalan Civil War drew to a close, he returned to his country and was appointed a magistrate of the Constitutional Court; he was serving there during President
President of Guatemala
The title of President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1839, when that title was assumed by Mariano Rivera Paz...
Jorge Serrano
Jorge Serrano Elías
Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías was President of Guatemala from January 14, 1991 to May 31, 1993.-Career:Serrano was born April 26, 1945 in Guatemala City as the son of Jorge Adán Serrano and Rosa Elías...
's attempted "self-coup
Self-coup
A self-coup or autocoup is a form of coup d'état that occurs when a country's leader, who has come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and assumes extraordinary powers not granted under normal circumstances. Other measures taken may include...
" of 25 May 1993, when the Court was instrumental in preserving the country's constitutional order, preventing a military takeover, and installing Ramiro de León as caretaker president. After his time with the Constitutional Court, he was appointed to serve as the country's Ombudsman for Human Rights (Procurador de Derechos Humanos).