Puerto Rico Supreme Court Chief Justice Maite D. Oronoz Rodríguez said on October 22, 2026 that Senate Bill 1096, which the Legislature passed on final approval, raises constitutional questions and asked the governor to exercise her veto power over the measure. The bill would replace the 2003 Judiciary Law and restructure the court system, giving the full Supreme Court (Pleno) a greater role in administrative decisions currently tied to the Chief Justice’s direction functions.
Oronoz Rodríguez argued the bill shifts decisions essential to administrative direction to the Pleno while leaving the Chief Justice responsible for the judicial system’s operation, creating tension with Article V, Section 7 of the Constitution, which assigns rulemaking on court administration to the Supreme Court and direction of that administration to the Chief Justice. The bill would create an 11-member Supreme Court, a 39-judge Court of Appeals organized in panels of three to seven, and a Court of First Instance of 338 superior judges, and would eliminate the municipal judge category.
The Office of Courts Administration had objected during the legislative process, with its then administrator Sigfrido Steidel testifying the model would substantially reduce the Chief Justice’s administrative authority. House Judiciary Committee chair José Pérez Cordero contended the bill would broaden the Pleno’s participation without eliminating the Chief Justice’s authority. Oronoz Rodríguez acknowledged the Legislature may organize the judicial system but said it must respect the constitutionally assigned division of responsibilities.