Advisory Law Commission of Cuba

The Advisory Law Commission of Cuba (Spanish: Comisión Consultiva), established on December 24, 1906, was a temporary law commission under the Provisional Government of Cuba. The commission was created by Provisional Governor William Howard Taft, but largely presided over by his predecessor, Provisional Governor Charles Edward Magoon. Its primary objective was to draft and revise laws to modernize Cuba's legal framework, which was then based on outdated Spanish legislation from 1877 that centralized control at the national level.

The Advisory Law Commission played a crucial role in structuring nearly every part of the Cuban government. Its contributions were, in the words of the Bulletin of the International Bureau of the American Republics; "as important and far-reaching as was the drafting of the Constitution itself," as they were necessary to implement the Constitution effectively.

One of the Commission's significant contributions was the drafting of a new municipal law, adopted on January 24, 1908. This law aimed to decentralize administrative powers, granting greater autonomy to municipal governments and reducing the centralization that had characterized the previous legal framework. The efforts of the Advisory Law Commission were instrumental in transitioning Cuba's legal system from its colonial past to a more modern structure, laying the groundwork for future legal and administrative reforms in the Republic of Cuba.

The commission also developed an electoral code that introduced universal male suffrage, while at the same time limiting eligibility for public office to literate Cuban citizens. Additionally, it played a role in judicial reform by creating a legal framework that ensured the judiciary branch's independence, breaking away from the colonial-era system where the courts had been under the control of the executive branch.