Puerto Rico awaits court decision on new governor
Constitutional issue could lengthen crisis
Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court agrees to rule on a lawsuit that the island’s Senate filed in a bid to oust a veteran politician recently sworn in as governor.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court on Monday agreed to rule on a lawsuit that 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 noon Tuesday to file all necessary paperwork, noting that no extensions will be awarded.
The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction ordering Pedro Pierluisi to cease his functions immediately and also asks that the court declare unconstitutional a 2005 law that states a secretary of state does not have to be approved by both House and Senate if he has to step in as governor.
“We are a people of LAW and ORDER,” Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz wrote in a Facebook post. “There is no circumstance that places someone above the Law.”
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 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. There is no deadline for the court to issue a ruling, and it cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because the issue deals strictly with Puerto Rico’s constitutional law, he said.
If the court finds in favor of the Senate, Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez would become governor, Ramos said, adding that 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 26-21 vote on Friday, a move he argues makes him the replacement for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.
However, the Senate had not yet voted on the appointment, and it was expected to do so Monday afternoon.
Pierluisi said in a statement that there is no time to lose.
“Although it is regrettable that this matter has to be elucidated in our courts, I hope that it will be treated with the greatest urgency and diligence for the good of the people of Puerto Rico,” he said.
The Supreme Court’s announcement means that a hearing scheduled for early Monday night by the Superior Court of San Juan was 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.
Rosselló formally resigned on Aug. 2 following nearly two weeks of popular protests.