Governor appoints 2 justices to Supreme Court

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón has appointed Camille Rivera Pérez and Raúl Candelario López as new associate justices of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court.

They will fill the vacant seats on the Supreme Court left by Justice Edgardo Rivera García, who retired on Jan. 3, and Justice Anabelle Rodríguez Rodríguez, who retired on Dec. 18, 2020. Both judges retired upon reaching the age of 70, which is the age limit for serving on the island’s top court. Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz welcomed the appointment and gave assurances that confirmation hearings will be held as soon as possible. Meanwhile, House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez welcomed the speed with which the governor addressed the vacancies in the Supreme Court, showing that she wants the island’s important cases to be taken up with urgency.

Independent Sen. Eliezer Molina Pérez, on the other hand, called the appointment of Candelario López “totally incestuous.” “Now it turns out that Judge Candelario, whose brother worked for [New Progressive Party Electoral Commissioner] Aníbal Vega Borges, is nominated for associate justice of the Supreme Court,” Molina Pérez said during the regular session of the Senate on Thursday. “How can we talk about democracy and the fight against corruption if politicians appoint those who will judge their actions? It is incestuous.”