Puerto Ricans await court’s decision on new governor

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court on Monday agreed to rule on a lawsuit the island’s Senate filed in a bid to oust a veteran politician recently sworn in as the island’s governor.

The court gave all parties until today at noon to file all necessary paperwork, noting no extensions will be awarded.

The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction ordering Pedro Pierluisi to cease his functions immediately and also asks the court declare unconstitutional a 2005 law that says a secretary of state does not have to be approved by both the House and Senate if he or she has to step in as governor.

“I want to put an end to this, but I want to do it correctly,” Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz said during a special session in which he stated he would let the court decide the outcome, adding that Pierluisi only had five of 15 votes needed from the Senate for his earlier nomination as secretary of state.

It is unclear how quickly the Supreme Court might rule or whether it would hold a hearing or simply issue a written opinion. The announcement comes as Puerto Ricans who successfully ousted the previous governor from office following nearly two weeks of protests await yet another twist in what is a deepening constitutional crisis.

Constitutional attorney Carlos Ramos told the Associated Press there is no deadline for the local Supreme Court to make a decision, and it cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because the issue deals strictly with Puerto Rico’s constitutional law. He added that the island’s Supreme Court rarely holds hearings and that at least five of the nine judges have to agree in order to declare a law unconstitutional.

If the court finds in favor of the Senate, Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez would become governor, Ramos said, adding it’s unclear whether Pierluisi could remain as secretary of state or whether he would be stripped of all positions.

“That’s a very technical issue,” he said.

Pierluisi was named secretary of state, the next in line to be governor, in a recess appointment last week. The island’s House of Representatives then confirmed him to the position in a 26-to-21 vote Friday, a move he argues makes him the replacement for former Gov. Ricardo Rossello.

However, the Senate had not yet voted on the appointment, and while it was expected to do so Monday afternoon, Rivera Schatz said there would be no vote.

The Supreme Court’s announcement means a hearing scheduled for early Monday evening by the Superior Court of San Juan has been canceled. The Senate originally filed the lawsuit late Sunday with the Superior Court of San Juan but then asked the Supreme Court on Monday to take the case.