Argentine Supreme Court reinstates limits on foreign land ownership
The Argentine Supreme Court has issued an interim injunction that reinstates statutory limits on foreign land ownership, effectively suspending Article 154 of President Javier Milei’s DNU 70/2023. The ruling restores the legal framework that mandates that no province may have more than 15% of its territory owned by foreign entities and restricts individual foreign holdings in the country’s most productive agricultural regions to 1,000 hectares. This measure restores the protections originally established by Law 26.737 during the administration of Cristina Kirchner.
Court Reverses Stance on Deregulation Challenge
The decision, reached during an extraordinary agreement involving two appointed conjueces, marks a significant shift from the court’s stance just ten days prior. On September 29, 2026, the tribunal had rejected a challenge brought by the CECIM (a group of Malvinas war veterans) on the grounds that the organization lacked legal standing to contest the decree’s impact on national sovereignty. The latest ruling, however, centers on a separate collective amparo filed by the organization Árbol de Pie, which argued that the deregulation compromised the right to a healthy environment. Justices Horacio Rosatti and Ricardo Lorenzetti voted in favor of the injunction, while Justice Carlos Rosenkrantz voted in dissent.
The tribunal acted in what has been described as record time, convening an unusual Friday meeting to address the case. The court distinguished this case from the CECIM filing, noting that the Árbol de Pie petition was explicitly linked to the protection of a balanced environment under Article 41 of the National Constitution. The suspension will remain in effect until the Federal Court of Bariloche rules on the standing of the plaintiffs and evaluates the merits of the requested protective measure.
Public Opposition Pressures Milei Government
The court’s decision follows widespread public and political backlash against the initial deregulation of land sales. With approximately 77% of the population reportedly opposing the removal of restrictions on foreign ownership, the issue became a rallying point for opposition parties and social organizations.
The government of Javier Milei, which viewed the initial judicial validation of the DNU as a key victory, now faces an intensifying legislative and social climate. Opposition lawmakers have been working to secure a majority to reject the entire DNU 70/2023 in Congress. Officialist sectors hope that the court’s latest intervention will diminish the scale of a planned national mobilization and protest scheduled for October 15, while also defusing the momentum behind the opposition’s efforts to overturn the broader emergency decree. If the decree were to be overturned in its entirety—which contains over 350 articles—the government would face significant governance challenges.
Internal Tensions and Future Outlook
The recent reversal highlights internal friction within the judiciary, where mutual frustration among the three Supreme Court ministers has reportedly escalated. Observers have noted that the court must now work to heal internal divisions and restore dialogue after a period of instability. As political alliances shift, the government remains under pressure, with opposition forces continuing to seek votes in the Chamber of Deputies to reject the DNU. Meanwhile, the broader economic context remains strained, with the 2027 Budget proposal signaling further adjustments to higher education funding, prompting ongoing protests from academic and student sectors.