Miriam Naveira
Encyclopedia
Miriam Naveira Merly is a Puerto Rican
jurist
who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice
(2003-2004).
from the College of Mount Saint Vincent
and her Law degree from the University of Puerto Rico
.
Naveira was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1985 by then Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
becoming the first woman on that court. During her tenure, Naveira was known as a pragmatic and moderate justice.
After the retirement of Chief Justice José Andreu García
in 2003, Governor Sila Calderón elevated Justice Naveira to the post of Chief Justice. However, her tenure lasted only seven months since the Constitution of Puerto Rico
states that Supreme Court Justices must retire at the age of seventy. She was succeeded by her colleague Federico Hernández Denton
.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority within Puerto Rico to interpret and decide questions of Commonwealth law. As the highest body of the judicial branch of the Puerto Rican government, it is analogous to one of the...
from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
(2003-2004).
Biography
Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1934. She obtained her Bachelor's Degree in ChemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
from the College of Mount Saint Vincent
College of Mount Saint Vincent
For the university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, see Mount Saint Vincent University The College of Mount Saint Vincent is a Catholic liberal arts college located in the northeast corner of the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York, adjacent to the Yonkers border. It is the northernmost location in...
and her Law degree from the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
.
Naveira was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1985 by then Governor Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
becoming the first woman on that court. During her tenure, Naveira was known as a pragmatic and moderate justice.
After the retirement of Chief Justice José Andreu García
José Andreu García
José Antonio Andreu García is a Puerto Rican jurist who served as Chief Justice of Puerto Rico from 1992 to 2003. He was known for his moderate approach to Constitutional Law.- Career and Education :...
in 2003, Governor Sila Calderón elevated Justice Naveira to the post of Chief Justice. However, her tenure lasted only seven months since the Constitution of Puerto Rico
Constitution of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is the controlling government document of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government as well as the function of several of its institutions. The document also contains an extensive...
states that Supreme Court Justices must retire at the age of seventy. She was succeeded by her colleague Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton
Federico Hernández Denton is the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Hernández received his Law Degree from Harvard University in 1969.-Biography:...
.