Raúl Arias-Marxuach

Raúl Arias-Marxuach

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico

Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

5

Education

Bachelor's

Boston College, 1989

Law

University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1994

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Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach is the chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. On April 12, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Arias-Marxuach to serve on this court. The U.S. Senate confirmed Arias-Marxuach on May 2, 2019, by a vote of 95-3. To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here. Arias-Marxuach became chief judge of the court in 2021.

On November 30, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Arias-Marxuach to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. Arias-Marxuach's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021. The president renominated Arias-Marxuach on January 3. Arias-Marxuach's nomination was withdrawn by President Joe Biden (D) on February 4, 2021. Click here for more information on Arias-Marxuach's federal judicial nomination.

The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is one of 94 U.S. district courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the courts, click here.

Arias-Marxuach was a capital member of McConnell Valdés LLC from 2003 to 2019.

Judicial nominations and appointments

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On November 30, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Arias-Marxuach to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Raúl Arias-Marxuach
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
Progress
Withdrawn 66 days after nomination.
ANominated: November 30, 2020
AABA Rating: Unanimously well qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
AHearing: December 16, 2020
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported:
AConfirmed:
AWithdrawn: February 4, 2021

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Arias-Marxuach's nomination on December 16, 2020.

Nomination

On November 30, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Arias-Marxuach to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. Arias-Marxuach's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2021. The president renominated Arias-Marxuach on January 3. Arias-Marxuach's nomination was withdrawn by the president on February 4, 2021. To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (2019-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On April 12, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Arias-Marxuach to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Senate confirmed Arias-Marxuach on May 2, 2019, by a vote of 95-3. He received commission on May 13, 2019. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Arias-Marxuach on May 2, 2019, on a vote of 95-3. To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Arias-Marxuach confirmation vote (May 2, 2019)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	41	2	2
Republican	53	0	0
Independent	1	1	0
Total	95	3	2

Change in Senate rules

See also:

Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress

Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

United States federal courts

Arias-Marxuach was the ninth judge to be confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.

It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees. For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Arias-Marxuach's nomination on June 20, 2018. The committee reported his nomination to the full Senate on July 19, 2018.

The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Arias-Marxuach's nomination on February 7, 2019. Click here to see how the committee voted. Arias-Marxuach's nomination was one of 44 that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reported that day.

Nomination

On April 12, 2018, President Trump nominated Arias-Marxuach to the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Arias-Marxuach was nominated to succeed Judge Jose Fuste, who retired from the bench on June 1, 2016.

At the sine die adjournment of the 115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Arias-Marxuach's nomination to President Trump. Arias-Marxuach was one of 51 individuals the president re-nominated on January 23, 2019.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Arias-Marxuach well qualified. To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Early life and education

Arias-Marxuach was born in 1967 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a B.A. from Boston College in 1989; a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 1992, and an L.L.M. from Harvard Law School in 1994.

Professional career

• 2019-present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
  • 2021-present: Chief judge
• 1995-2019: McConnell Valdés LLC
  • 2003-present: Capital member
  • 1999-2003: Income partner
  • 1995-1999: Associate
• 1994-1995: Litigation associate, Fiddler Gonzalez & Rodriguez P.S.C.
• 1992-1993: Law clerk to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico

Associations

• Member, American Bar Association
• 2003: Republican National Lawyers Association
• 2003: Member, Maritime Law Association of the United States
• 1997-2007: Member, Federal Bar Association, Puerto Rico chapter
• 1993-2009: Member, Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico

About the courts

1st Circuit

First Circuit
Court of Appeals
Judgeships
Posts: 6
Judges: 6
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:
Active judges: Seth Aframe, David Barron, Gustavo Gelpí, William Kayatta, Lara Montecalvo, Julie Rikelman Senior judges: Levin Hicks Campbell, Jeffrey R. Howard, Kermit Lipez, Sandra Lea Lynch, Bruce Marshall Selya, Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Appeals are heard in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts. There is another circuit courthouse located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the court sits for two weeks a year.

Two judges of the First Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Stephen Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 by Bill Clinton (D), and David Souter was appointed in 1990 by George H. W. Bush (R).

This page contains the following information on the First Circuit.

• A list of the court's current vacancies
• A list of the court's active and senior judges
• An overview of the court's jurisdiction
• Selected case management statistics
• A brief history of the court
• Case reversal statistics by the Supreme Court of the United States
• Noteworthy cases heard by the court
• Where the court is located
• Information about U.S. Courts of Appeals

The 1st Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases may be civil or criminal in nature that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the 1st Circuit are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit has jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts:

• District of Maine
• District of Massachusetts
• District of New Hampshire
• District of Puerto Rico
• District of Rhode Island

District of Puerto Rico

District of Puerto Rico
First Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 7
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Raúl Arias-Marxuach
Active judges: María Antongiorgi-Jordán, Raúl Arias-Marxuach, Silvia Carreno-Coll, Pedro A. Delgado Hernandez, Aida Delgado-Colon, Gina Méndez-Miró, Camille Vélez-Rivé Senior judges: Francisco Besosa, Daniel Dominguez, Jay Garcia-Gregory

The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit based in downtown Boston at the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse, but hears appeals at the Old San Juan courthouse for two sessions each year.

The District of Puerto Rico has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The jurisdiction of the District of Puerto Rico consists of all the municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is based in San Juan with the main building being the Clemente Ruiz Nazario U.S. Courthouse located in the Hato Rey district of San Juan.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

• The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
• The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

• As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

• After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

• If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
• If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

• The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

• If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
• If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

See also

• United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
• United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
• Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
• LinkedIn profile
• Profile from McConnell Valdés LLC (archived July 2018)
• United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico 2019-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit	Succeeded by -