Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...

 of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

 of the Puerto Rican government
Government of Puerto Rico
The Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...

, it is analogous to one of the state supreme court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....

s of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

s. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico holds its sessions in the city of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

.

Structure and powers

The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico was established by the Foraker Act
Foraker Act
The Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...

 in 1900 and maintained in the 1952 Constitution of Puerto Rico
Constitution of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...

. It is the only appellate court required by the Constitution. All other courts are created by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico. However, since Puerto Rico is under United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 sovereignty, there is also a Federal District Court
United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is based in San Juan. The main building is the Clemente Ruiz Nazario U.S. Courthouse located in the Hato Rey district of San Juan...

 for the island.

The justices (currently nine) are appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico and confirmed by majority vote by the Senate
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

. One of these nine justices serves as Chief Justice; the remaining members are designated Associate Justices. Unlike the Supreme Court of the United States, the justices of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court do not serve for life, as the Puerto Rico Constitution requires that all judges must retire upon reaching age 70.

Although the Constitution of Puerto Rico provides for the Court to be composed of five justices, it also contains a provision that the number may be altered, though only by petition of the Court itself. This provision has been used four times in Court history. Immediately after the Constitution's ratification, the Court asked for two additional judges. During the early 1960s, the Court once again petitioned for the addition of two more judges, arguing that there was a case backlog on its docket. Subsequently, during the 1970s the Court asked for its number to be reduced back to seven members, arguing that the backlog had been attended to. Finally, in 2010 a 4-3 majority of the justices petitioned the Legislative Assembly to once again increase the Court's membership to 9. This decision has generated controversy since it is the first time that such a request has been done without unanimity from the justices.

The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is defined by the Constitution and the laws of Puerto Rico. In general, the jurisdictional structure parallels that of the state Supreme Courts in the continental United States. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico has concurrent jurisdiction with federal courts to interpret federal laws, unless the Supremacy Clause requires otherwise. Judgments that stand on federal law grounds may be reviewed by the United States Supreme Court, unless an adequate and independent ground for the decision based in Puerto Rico commonwealth law is also present. The Court has the power of judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...

 and its decision are considered binding precedent within the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico also regulates the practice of law in Puerto Rico.

The term of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court begins on the first Monday of October and ends on the last week of June of the following year. However, during the recess months of July through September, an alternating panel of three justices are allowed to hear cases and their decisions are considered binding precedent. However, in order for any law passed by the Legislative Assembly to be declared unconstitutional, it requires the votes of a majority of the total membership of the Court, therefore, a three-justice panel may not hear constitutional challenges to laws passed by the Legislature.

The justices decide whether or not to hear oral arguments for the case. If the case is controversial or carries high public interest, an oral argument may be scheduled, although oral arguments were rare under Chief Justice Hernández Denton. When oral argument occurs, each side has twenty-five minutes to state its respective claims and five minutes for rebuttal. After the sides have ended their argument, each justice has ten minutes (in order of seniority) to ask questions to each side. Justices may decide to yield the balance of their time to one of their colleagues.

Because several Federal judges have voluntarily withdrawn from the Puerto Rico Bar Association
Puerto Rico Bar Association
The Puerto Rico Bar Association or Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico was founded in the 19th century and has evolved into an organization in which until 2009; all practicing attorneys must have been members in order to practice law in the United States territory of Puerto Rico...

 and was converted by statute into a voluntary membership organization, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico maintains the official bar records of Puerto Rico licensed attorneys.

Lower Courts

During much of the 20th century, the court system in Puerto Rico had consisted of Municipal Courts, District Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...

s, and the Supreme Court. Cases could be appealed from Municipal Courts to commonwealth District Courts. From the commonwealth District Courts cases were then appealed to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Supreme Court.

Appointments

Appointments to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico have traditionally been a politicized and often controversial process. The Governor of Puerto Rico usually appoints someone who is affiliated with his own political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

. For example, during his sixteen years as Governor, Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

 only appointed one statehooder, Rafael Hernández Matos to the court, despite the fact that statehooders represented the largest political minority in Puerto Rico. During the four years of divided partisan control of government between 2005 and 2009, when the governorship was occupied by commonwealther Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...

 and the Senate presidency was held by statehooder Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...

, despite the 2005 retirement of Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 Baltasar Corrada del Rio
Baltasar Corrada del Río
Baltasar Corrada del Río is a former politician from Puerto Rico. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner , Mayor of the capital city of San Juan , Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State and...

, the death of Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 Jaime Fuster
Jaime Fuster
Jaime B. Fuster Berlingeri was a politician who served as an Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico...

 in 2007 and the 2008 retirement of Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 Francisco Rebollo
Francisco Rebollo
Francisco Rebollo is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. He served in that position from 1982 to 2008. Appointed by Governor Carlos Romero Barceló Rebollo served under Chief Justices Víctor Pons, José Andreu García, and Federico Hernández Denton, as well as Chief...

, no appointments were made. For over half a century, the Court has been dominated by justices affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....

, until February 2009 when, due to the accumulation of unfilled vacancies, pro-statehood Governor Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

 was able to fill three vacancies. Added to one Justice already on the Court, appointed by another pro-statehood Governor, the justices appointed by statehooders became a majority in the Court. Four women have been appointed justices since 1952; one of them, Miriam Naveira
Miriam Naveira
Miriam Naveira Merly is a Puerto Rican jurist who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice .-Biography:Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1934...

, was Chief Justice for a period of one year. Only one black, Justice Erick Kolthoff
Erick Kolthoff
Erick Kolthoff-Caraballo is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.Prior to being appointed on February 4, 2009 to the Supreme Court by Governor Luis Fortuño he had been appointed by former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá as a Superior Court judge, for which he was unanimously...

, has served in the Court. He is also the Court's only Protestant.

The current Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...

 is Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...

, who was appointed in 2004 by Governor Sila Calderón. Previously, he served as an Associate Justice from 1985 to 2004. In this capacity, Chief Justice Hernández Denton has sworn in Governors Aníbal Acevedo Vilá and Luis Fortuño. He is also the administrator of the Judicial Branch of Puerto Rico.

With the arrival of Associate Justice Pabón, the three female justices constitute the largest number of women in history to serve on the Court simultaneously.

Of the eight current Associate Justices, five have served on the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals. Justice Anabelle Rodríguez served as Solicitor General and Attorney General of Puerto Rico, Justice Kolthoff served as a Superior Court Judge and Justice Estrella served as legal advisor to the president of the Puerto Rico Senate.

Recent court controversies

The realignment on the court has led to several significant court decisions. In Suarez Caceres vs CEE, the court overruled a previous court decision that required that a "None of the Above" option be included in political status plebiscites. That option obtained an absolute majority of votes in the 1998 political status plebiscite.

A 4-3 majority amended Rule 5 of the court's regulations to enable the most senior judge on the majority side of every case to determine the member of the Court that would write the majority opinion, which is the practice in the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

. Previously, the Chief Justice, even when on the minority side of a case, assigned the writing of the opinion of the Court.

Current Composition of the Court

Justice Age Appointed by Year Appointed Prior Positions
Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...


(Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...

)
67 Sila Calderón 2004 Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 of the Interamerican University Law School
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1985-2004) appointed by Gov. Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...

Liana Fiol Matta
Liana Fiol Matta
Liana Fiol Matta is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. She is the second woman in Puerto Rican history to serve in the highest court of the island.-Biography:...

64 Sila Calderón 2004 Judge at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals (1992-2004)
Anabelle Rodríguez
Anabelle Rodriguez
Anabelle Rodríguez Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican lawyer, former state Attorney General, and current Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico...

57 Sila Calderón 2004 Solicitor General, Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

 of Puerto Rico (2001-2004)
Rafael Martínez Torres
Rafael Martínez Torres
Rafael Martínez Torres is a Puerto Rican jurist. Since 2009 he has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.-Early life and education:...

52 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2009 Judge at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals (1995-2009)
Mildred Pabón Charneco
Mildred Pabón
Mildred Pabón Charneco is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico after being appointed to the post on February 4, 2009 by Governor Luis Fortuño. She filled the vacancy created by the death of Associate Justice Jaime Fuster in 2007...

54 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2009 Judge at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals (2000-2009)
Erick Kolthoff Caraballo
Erick Kolthoff
Erick Kolthoff-Caraballo is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.Prior to being appointed on February 4, 2009 to the Supreme Court by Governor Luis Fortuño he had been appointed by former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá as a Superior Court judge, for which he was unanimously...

50 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2009 Judge at the Superior Courts of Puerto Rico (2007-2009), Director of the Nominations Investigation Unit at the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

 (2005-2007)
Edgardo Rivera Garcia
Edgardo Rivera García
Edgardo Rivera García is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. He was nominated by Governor Luis Fortuño to succeed retired Justice Efraín Rivera Pérez...

56 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2010 Director of the Legislative Counsel Office of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

 (1997-2000), Puerto Rico Superior Court Judge (2000-2009), Judge at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals (2009-2010).
Roberto Feliberti Cintrón 48 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2011 Judge at the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals (2009-2011).
Luis Estrella Martínez
Luis Estrella Martínez
Attorney Luis Estrella-Martínez, born on November 17, 1971 in Puerto Rico, has been nominated by Governor Luis Fortuño to become the youngest Associate Justice of the current Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2011, he took office on May 25, 2011 at the age of 39 and...

40 Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

2011 In private practice, legal advisor to the President of the Puerto Rico Senate (2009-2011), to then Senator Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...

 (1994) and then Representative Pedro Figueroa (1995-96).

Conflicts with the Federal Court

From 1915 to 1961, decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court could be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...

. In earlier years, the First Circuit frequently reversed the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, sometimes attempting to impose its own interpretations of Puerto Rico's civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...

 legal norms despite the Boston-based court's unfamiliarity with Puerto Rico jurisprudence, until a series of opinions by United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...

 instructed that the Puerto Rico Supreme Court's interpretations were not to be overturned by the federal appeals court unless they were "manifestly wrong." With the standard of review so limited, and especially after Puerto Rico attained Commonwealth status under the 1952 Constitution, this route for appeals was deemed anachronistic and was repealed in 1961 providing Puerto Rico with a judicial state-federal court structure equal to that of States. Today, decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court are as final as those of any state supreme court and are reviewable by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 only pursuant to a writ of certiorari
Certiorari
Certiorari is a type of writ seeking judicial review, recognized in U.S., Roman, English, Philippine, and other law. Certiorari is the present passive infinitive of the Latin certiorare...

 when an important question of federal law is involved.

Conflicts between the Puerto Rico courts and the federal court do arise from time to time. According to the Constitution of Puerto Rico of 1952, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is only within laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. However, on several occasions the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico has taken jurisdiction on cases having to do with Puerto Rican law. A highly controversial instance occurred in November 2004 when the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico declared that all ballots should be counted during the Puerto Rico General Election of 2004. The New Progressive Party
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...

 brought the matter to the Federal Court, claiming that some of the ballots should be nullified. Federal Judge Daniel Dominguez then took jurisdiction of the case, in a ruling that would effectively have nullified the decision of the Supreme Court. However, on December 15, 2004, the First Circuit Court
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...

 reversed Judge Dominguez's decision, finding that questions on the electoral process of Puerto Rico are matters for the Puerto Rico local court system headed by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.

Chief Justices of Puerto Rico

  • José Severo Quiñones
    José Severo Quiñones
    José Severo Quiñones was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 6, 1838, he began his formal studies in Puerto Rico before continuing the study of law at Seville University and Madrid Central University in Spain. After obtaining his...

     (1900-1909)
  • José Hernández Santiago
    José Conrado Hernández
    José Conrado Hernández Santiago served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1909 to 1922....

     (1909-1922)
  • Emilio del Toro Cuebas (1922-1943)
  • Martín Travieso Nieva (1944-1948)
  • Angel de Jesús Sánchez (1948-1951)
  • Roberto Todd Borrás (1951-1952)
  • A. Cecil Snyder
    A. Cecil Snyder
    Aaron Cecil Snyder was an American lawyer who served as a prosecutor and judge in Puerto Rico.Snyder was born in Baltimore, Maryland. After attending Baltimore City College and Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate, he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1930.Snyder practiced law briefly...

     (1953-1957)
  • Jaime Sifre Dávila
    Jaime Sifre Dávila
    Jaime Sifre Dávila was an attorney and judge in Puerto Rico, ultimately serving as an Associate Justice and briefly as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico....

     (1957)
  • Luis Negrón Fernández (1957-1972)
  • Pedro Pérez Pimentel (1973-1974)
  • José Trías Monge
    José Trías Monge
    José Trías Monge was a lawyer and judge in Puerto Rico. He served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1974 to 1985. He was appointed, without any prior court service, by Gov...

     (1974-1985)
  • Víctor Pons Núñez
    Víctor Pons
    Víctor Pons was a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and Secretary of State of Puerto Rico.Appointed by Governor Rafael Hernández Colón, Pons headed the high court from 1985 until 1992, succeeding Chief Justice José Trías Monge....

     (1985-1992)
  • José Andréu García
    José Andreu García
    José Antonio Andreu García is a Puerto Rican jurist who served as Chief Justice of Puerto Rico from 1992 to 2003. He was known for his moderate approach to Constitutional Law.- Career and Education :...

     (1992-2003)
  • Miriam Naveira Merly
    Miriam Naveira
    Miriam Naveira Merly is a Puerto Rican jurist who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice .-Biography:Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1934...

     (2003-2004)
  • Federico Hernández Denton
    Federico Hernández Denton
    Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...

     (2004-present)

Associate Justices of Puerto Rico

  • Luis Estrella Martínez
    Luis Estrella Martínez
    Attorney Luis Estrella-Martínez, born on November 17, 1971 in Puerto Rico, has been nominated by Governor Luis Fortuño to become the youngest Associate Justice of the current Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Confirmed by the Senate on May 11, 2011, he took office on May 25, 2011 at the age of 39 and...

     (2011-present)
  • Roberto Feliberti Cintrón (2011-present)
  • Liana Fiol Matta
    Liana Fiol Matta
    Liana Fiol Matta is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. She is the second woman in Puerto Rican history to serve in the highest court of the island.-Biography:...

     (2004-present)
  • Erick Kolthoff Caraballo
    Erick Kolthoff
    Erick Kolthoff-Caraballo is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.Prior to being appointed on February 4, 2009 to the Supreme Court by Governor Luis Fortuño he had been appointed by former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá as a Superior Court judge, for which he was unanimously...

     (2009-present)
  • Rafael Martínez Torres
    Rafael Martínez Torres
    Rafael Martínez Torres is a Puerto Rican jurist. Since 2009 he has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.-Early life and education:...

     (2009-present)
  • Mildred Pabón Charneco
    Mildred Pabón
    Mildred Pabón Charneco is a Puerto Rican jurist currently serving as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico after being appointed to the post on February 4, 2009 by Governor Luis Fortuño. She filled the vacancy created by the death of Associate Justice Jaime Fuster in 2007...

     (2009-present)
  • Edgardo Rivera Garcia
    Edgardo Rivera García
    Edgardo Rivera García is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. He was nominated by Governor Luis Fortuño to succeed retired Justice Efraín Rivera Pérez...

     (2010-present)
  • Anabelle Rodríguez
    Anabelle Rodriguez
    Anabelle Rodríguez Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican lawyer, former state Attorney General, and current Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico...

     (2004-present)

See also

  • List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico by court
  • Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
    United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
    The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...

  • Puerto Rico District Court
    United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
    The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is based in San Juan. The main building is the Clemente Ruiz Nazario U.S. Courthouse located in the Hato Rey district of San Juan...

  • Courts of the United States
    Courts of the United States
    Courts of the United States include both the United States federal courts, comprising the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States and state and territorial courts of the individual U.S...


External links

  • tribunalpr.org - official site, in Spanish
    Spanish language
    Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

    .
  • Puerto Rican United States Appeal Court Cases
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