United States District Court for the 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.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, out of the court's seven judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Aida Delgado-Colon	George W. Bush (R)	March 17, 2006 -	University of Puerto Rico, 1977	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, 1980
Pedro A. Delgado Hernandez	Barack Obama (D)	March 7, 2014 -	University of Puerto Rico, 1979	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1983
Raúl Arias-Marxuach	Donald Trump (R)	May 13, 2019 -	Boston College, 1989	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1994
Silvia Carreno-Coll	Donald Trump (R)	February 26, 2020 -	Emerson College, 1983	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1986
María Antongiorgi-Jordán	Joe Biden (D)	December 1, 2022 -
Camille Vélez-Rivé	Joe Biden (D)	December 9, 2022 -	Washington University in St. Louis, 1989	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1993
Gina Méndez-Miró	Joe Biden (D)	February 24, 2023 -

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 4
• Republican appointed: 3

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Daniel Dominguez	Bill Clinton (D)	July 31, 2011 -	Boston University, 1967	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1970
Jay Garcia-Gregory	Bill Clinton (D)	September 30, 2018 -	Assumption College, 1966	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 1972
Francisco Besosa	George W. Bush (R)	January 1, 2022 -	Brown University, 1971	Georgetown University Law Center, 1979

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 2
• Republican appointed: 1

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Bruce McGiverin	United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico	January 19, 2007 -	University of Iowa, 1982	Columbia University School of Law, 1988
Marcos Lopez-Gonzalez	United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico	January 24, 2007 -	University of Virginia	Cornell University
Marshal Morgan	United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico	May 23, 2018 -	Yale University, 1989	University of Baltimore, 1994
Giselle Lopez-Soler	United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico	January 8, 2021 -	Tufts University, 1997	University of Puerto Rico School of Law, 2000

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Gustavo Gelpí - (2018 - 2021) Aida Delgado-Colon - (2011 - 2018) Jose Fuste - (2004 - 2011) Hector Laffitte - (1999 - 2004) Carmen Cerezo - (1993 - 1999) Gilberto Gierbolini-Ortiz - (1991 - 1993) Juan Perez-Gimenez - (1984 - 1991)

Juan Torruella - (1982-1984) Hernan Pesquera - (1980 - 1982) Jose Toledo -(1974 - 1980) Hiram Cancio - (1967 - 1974)

Former judges

For more information on the judges of the District of Puerto Rico, see former federal judges of the District of Puerto Rico.

Jurisdiction

The Municipalities of Puerto Rico (click for larger map)

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.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	2,980	2,453	3,457	7	0	426	18	12	11	53	4
2011	1,819	1,700	1,974	7	5	260	14	12	11	46	3
2012	3,110	2,930	3,603	7	12	444	16	13	11	67	5
2013	2,962	2,864	3,644	7	12	423	16	11	13	97	7
2014	2,566	2,873	3,327	7	2	367	13	12	13	98	8
2015	3,788	3,031	4,099	7	0	541	12	15	8	113	5
2016	3,843	3,367	4,603	7	7	549	13	13	8	105	4
2017	2,772	2,776	4,558	7	12	396	10	15	13	116	5
2018	2,656	2,671	4,565	7	15	379	11	18	17	187	9
2019	2,812	3,124	4,311	7	16	402	9	18	15	210	11
2020	1,714	2,068	3,888	7	1	245	4	20	15	248	15
2021	1,951	2,337	3,550	7	24	279	7	25	17	320	21
2022	2,079	2,287	3,367	7	36	297	9	21	19	304	23
2023	2,067	2,470	2,956	7	7	295	7	23	17	226	21
Average	2,651	2,639	3,707	7	11	379	11	16	13	156	10

History

Court history

The District of Puerto Rico was established by Congress in 1900 with one judge appointed to a four-year term. In 1915, the court was assigned to the First Circuit and in 1938 the judge's term of office was increased to 8 years. Then in September 12, 1966, the judgeships were made lifetime positions and the court was elevated to the same status as other United States District Courts. Over time six additional judicial posts were added for a total of seven current posts.

Judicial posts

Prior to 1966, all appointments to the court were considered Article I appointments, which did not carry life tenures. After 1966, the appointments were considered Article III appointments and carried lifetime terms. The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the District of Puerto Rico:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
1900	31 Stat. 77	1
1961	75 Stat. 80	2
September 12, 1966	80 Stat. 764 Court status elevated	2
June 2, 1970	84 Stat. 294	3
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	7

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Opinions of the District of Puerto Rico. {{Notable case format|Level = Court|Title = Police Chief prohibition case|Case Link = |Case name = |Case number = U|Judge = Arthur Fuller Odlin|Court=United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico|Text = Judge Odlin was the first judge for the District of Puerto Rico to preside over a major corruption case within the territory's police department. The police department acquired information concerning an investigation occurring which accused the police department and other top government officials of flagrant violations of the prohibition laws preventing the sale and consumption of alcohol across the U.S.. As the trial date approached, Judge Odlin ordered police chief Colonel George Shanton to surrender the evidence against the department and public officials. Shanton wrote to Judge Odlin and requested an exemption from the order as he had already "disposed" of the evidence. He was held in contempt of court, arrested for two days and immediately fired.

{{Notable case format|Level = Court|Title = Puerto Rican right to vote|Case Link = http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15256883679941019692&q=Igartua+de+la+Rosa+v.+United+States&hl=en&as_sdt=2,33%7CCase name =Igartua de la Rosa v. United States|Case number = 107 F. Supp. 2d 140(D.P.R. 2000)|Judge=Jaime Pieras|Court=United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico|Text = In this case, Judge Pieras established the right of Puerto Ricans to vote for the President of the United States. Pieras used his opinion to highlight what he felt were glaring civil rights violations based on Puerto Rico's status within the United States. The ruling was later overturned at the appellate level.

Federal courthouse

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. The Magistrate Judges are located in the adjacent Federico Degetau Federal Building, and several senior district judges hold court at the old courthouse in Old San Juan. The old courthouse also houses the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through November 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Bill Clinton had the most district court appointments with 169.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

Step	A Candidacy Proceeds	A Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
• District of Maine
• District of Massachusetts
• District of New Hampshire
• District of Puerto Rico
• District of Rhode Island

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Official Site